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Watchlist
Account
Liberty Global
LBTYB
#3256
Rank
$4.66 B
Marketcap
๐ฌ๐ง
United Kingdom
Country
$13.92
Share price
1.38%
Change (1 day)
37.28%
Change (1 year)
๐ก Telecommunication
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Net Assets
Annual Reports (10-K)
ESG Reports
Liberty Global
Quarterly Reports (10-Q)
Financial Year FY2016 Q3
Liberty Global - 10-Q quarterly report FY2016 Q3
Text size:
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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
þ
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2016
OR
¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 001-35961
Liberty Global plc
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
England and Wales
98-1112770
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
Griffin House, 161 Hammersmith Rd, London, United Kingdom
W6 8BS
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
+44.208.483.6449 or 303.220.6600
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes
þ
No
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes
þ
No
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large Accelerated Filer
þ
Accelerated Filer
¨
Non-Accelerated Filer (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
¨
Smaller Reporting Company
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes
¨
No
þ
The number of outstanding ordinary shares of Liberty Global plc as of
October 27, 2016
was:
Class A
Class B
Class C
Liberty Global ordinary shares
256,854,989
10,805,850
638,673,677
LiLAC ordinary shares
51,037,232
1,888,323
121,221,345
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Number
PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (unaudited)
1
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (unaudited)
3
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (unaudited)
4
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Equity for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 (unaudited)
5
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (unaudited)
6
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)
8
ITEM 2.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
76
ITEM 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
127
ITEM 4.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
131
PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
132
ITEM 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
132
ITEM 6.
EXHIBITS
133
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited)
September 30,
2016
December 31,
2015
in millions
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
977.1
$
982.1
Trade receivables, net
1,728.4
1,467.7
Derivative instruments (note 4)
416.8
421.9
Prepaid expenses
276.5
144.2
Other current assets
525.8
341.5
Total current assets
3,924.6
3,357.4
Investments (including $1,936.1 million and $2,591.8 million, respectively, measured at fair value)
2,243.8
2,839.6
Property and equipment, net (note 6)
21,606.2
21,684.0
Goodwill (note 6)
24,360.0
27,020.4
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net (note 6)
4,076.2
7,092.5
Assets held for sale (note 3)
18,546.6
—
Other assets, net (note 4)
6,216.1
5,565.1
Total assets
$
80,973.5
$
67,559.0
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
1
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS — (Continued)
(unaudited)
September 30,
2016
December 31,
2015
in millions
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$
1,092.3
$
1,050.1
Deferred revenue and advance payments from subscribers and others
1,141.8
1,393.5
Current portion of debt and capital lease obligations (notes 5 and 7)
2,155.4
2,537.9
Accrued income taxes
555.9
483.5
Accrued capital expenditures
502.1
441.8
Accrued interest
498.0
832.8
Derivative instruments (note 4)
482.5
346.3
Other accrued and current liabilities (note 11)
2,208.6
2,072.0
Total current liabilities
8,636.6
9,157.9
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations (notes 5 and 7)
41,792.1
44,211.2
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale (note 3)
13,411.7
—
Other long-term liabilities (notes 4 and 11)
4,167.8
4,015.6
Total liabilities
68,008.2
57,384.7
Commitments and contingencies (notes 3, 4, 7, 8, 13 and 15)
Equity (note 9):
Liberty Global shareholders:
Liberty Global Shares — Class A, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 259,394,782
and 252,766,455 shares, respectively
2.6
2.5
Liberty Global Shares — Class B, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 10,805,850 and 10,472,517 shares, respectively
0.1
0.1
Liberty Global Shares — Class C, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 639,468,548 and 584,044,394 shares, respectively
6.4
5.9
LiLAC Shares — Class A, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 51,014,561 and 12,630,580 shares, respectively
0.5
0.1
LiLAC Shares — Class B, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 1,888,323 and 523,423 shares, respectively
—
—
LiLAC Shares — Class C, $0.01 nominal value. Issued and outstanding 121,175,885 and 30,772,874 shares, respectively
1.2
0.3
Additional paid-in capital
17,982.0
14,908.1
Accumulated deficit
(5,677.3
)
(5,160.1
)
Accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss), net of taxes
(316.7
)
895.9
Treasury shares, at cost
(0.3
)
(0.4
)
Total Liberty Global shareholders
11,998.5
10,652.4
Noncontrolling interests
966.8
(478.1
)
Total equity
12,965.3
10,174.3
Total liabilities and equity
$
80,973.5
$
67,559.0
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
2
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(unaudited)
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions, except per share amounts
Revenue (note 14)
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
Operating costs and expenses:
Operating (other than depreciation and amortization) (including share-based compensation) (note 10)
1,920.3
1,700.2
5,574.9
5,064.4
Selling, general and administrative (
SG&A
) (including share-based compensation) (note 10)
935.1
830.3
2,665.0
2,395.2
Depreciation and amortization
1,416.9
1,458.4
4,405.4
4,387.6
Impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net (notes 3 and 11)
32.2
63.0
246.9
105.7
4,304.5
4,051.9
12,892.2
11,952.9
Operating income
902.7
545.5
1,977.1
1,727.9
Non-operating income (expense):
Interest expense
(664.4
)
(617.7
)
(1,940.8
)
(1,834.4
)
Realized and unrealized gains (
losses)
on derivative instruments, net (note 4)
(436.4
)
742.0
106.9
680.8
Foreign currency transaction gains (
losses)
, net
92.3
(216.2
)
133.2
(911.4
)
Realized and unrealized
gains (losses)
due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, net (note 5)
73.8
(276.1
)
(570.8
)
(13.9
)
Losses on debt modification and extinguishment, net (note 7)
(64.8
)
(34.3
)
(88.7
)
(382.6
)
Other income (expense), net (note 13)
1.2
(5.1
)
31.0
(7.8
)
(998.3
)
(407.4
)
(2,329.2
)
(2,469.3
)
Earnings (loss)
before income taxes
(95.6
)
138.1
(352.1
)
(741.4
)
Income tax benefit (expense)
(note 8)
(109.5
)
2.5
(116.6
)
(49.6
)
Net earnings (
loss)
(205.1
)
140.6
(468.7
)
(791.0
)
Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests
(44.4
)
(7.3
)
(48.5
)
(77.9
)
Net earnings (
loss)
attributable to Liberty Global shareholders
$
(249.5
)
$
133.3
$
(517.2
)
$
(868.9
)
Basic and diluted earnings (loss)
attributable to Liberty Global shareholders per share (notes 1 and 12):
Liberty Global Shares
$
(0.18
)
$
0.12
$
(0.33
)
$
0.12
LiLAC Shares
$
(0.47
)
$
0.69
$
(2.49
)
$
0.69
Old Liberty Global Shares
$
(1.13
)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(unaudited)
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Net earnings (loss)
$
(205.1
)
$
140.6
$
(468.7
)
$
(791.0
)
Other comprehensive earnings (loss), net of taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments
(177.7
)
(515.2
)
(1,171.9
)
(276.6
)
Reclassification adjustments included in net earnings (
loss)
0.5
0.5
(0.1
)
1.5
Pension-related adjustments and other
(36.4
)
0.9
(41.0
)
(0.1
)
Other comprehensive loss
(213.6
)
(513.8
)
(1,213.0
)
(275.2
)
Comprehensive
loss
(418.7
)
(373.2
)
(1,681.7
)
(1,066.2
)
Comprehensive earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests
(44.6
)
(7.3
)
(48.1
)
(78.0
)
Comprehensive
loss
attributable to Liberty Global shareholders
$
(463.3
)
$
(380.5
)
$
(1,729.8
)
$
(1,144.2
)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY
(unaudited)
Liberty Global shareholders
Non-controlling
interests
Total
equity
Liberty Global Shares
LiLAC Shares
Additional
paid-in
capital
Accumulated
deficit
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
earnings (loss),
net of taxes
Treasury shares, at cost
Total Liberty Global
shareholders
in millions
Balance at January 1, 2016
$
8.5
$
0.4
$
14,908.1
$
(5,160.1
)
$
895.9
$
(0.4
)
$
10,652.4
$
(478.1
)
$
10,174.3
Net loss
—
—
—
(517.2
)
—
—
(517.2
)
48.5
(468.7
)
Other comprehensive loss, net of taxes
—
—
—
—
(1,212.6
)
—
(1,212.6
)
(0.4
)
(1,213.0
)
Impact of the CWC Acquisition (note 3)
1.1
0.1
4,488.9
—
—
—
4,490.1
1,451.8
5,941.9
Repurchase and cancellation of Liberty Global ordinary shares (note 9)
(0.5
)
—
(1,615.1
)
—
—
—
(1,615.6
)
—
(1,615.6
)
Share-based compensation (note 10)
—
—
186.2
—
—
—
186.2
—
186.2
Liberty Global call option contracts
—
—
119.1
—
—
—
119.1
—
119.1
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution (note 3)
—
1.2
(1.2
)
—
—
—
—
—
—
Adjustments due to changes in subsidiaries’ equity and other, net
—
—
(104.0
)
—
—
0.1
(103.9
)
(55.0
)
(158.9
)
Balance at September 30, 2016
$
9.1
$
1.7
$
17,982.0
$
(5,677.3
)
$
(316.7
)
$
(0.3
)
$
11,998.5
$
966.8
$
12,965.3
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited)
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
in millions
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net
loss
$
(468.7
)
$
(791.0
)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation expense
206.4
253.0
Depreciation and amortization
4,405.4
4,387.6
Impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net
246.9
105.7
Amortization of deferred financing costs and non-cash interest accretion
54.6
59.6
Realized and unrealized gains on derivative instruments, net
(106.9
)
(680.8
)
Foreign currency transaction losses (gains), net
(133.2
)
911.4
Realized and unrealized losses
due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, including impact of dividends
584.0
15.0
Losses
on debt modification and extinguishment, net
88.7
382.6
Deferred income tax benefit
(221.3
)
(280.7
)
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation
(4.0
)
(27.0
)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of the effects of acquisitions and dispositions
(610.4
)
(176.1
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
4,041.5
4,159.3
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures
(1,945.0
)
(1,851.5
)
Cash paid in connection with acquisitions, net of cash acquired
(1,327.4
)
(281.2
)
Sale of investments
137.8
—
Investments in and loans to affiliates and others
(90.3
)
(771.4
)
Other investing activities, net
88.3
41.4
Net cash used by investing activities
$
(3,136.6
)
$
(2,862.7
)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
6
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS — (Continued)
(unaudited)
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
in millions
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings of debt
$
7,633.1
$
13,293.5
Repayments and repurchases of debt and capital lease obligations
(6,880.8
)
(12,293.6
)
Repurchase of Liberty Global ordinary shares
(1,504.3
)
(1,404.7
)
Payment of financing costs and debt premiums
(148.9
)
(395.0
)
Change in cash collateral
117.7
61.8
Net cash paid related to derivative instruments
(39.5
)
(298.8
)
Net cash received (paid) associated with call option contracts on Liberty Global ordinary shares
9.2
(121.1
)
Purchase of additional shares of subsidiaries
—
(142.2
)
Other financing activities, net
(136.2
)
(51.2
)
Net cash used by financing activities
(949.7
)
(1,351.3
)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
39.8
7.4
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
(5.0
)
(47.3
)
Cash and cash equivalents:
Beginning of period
982.1
1,158.5
End of period
$
977.1
$
1,111.2
Cash paid for interest
$
2,170.6
$
1,767.4
Net cash paid for taxes
$
330.2
$
192.6
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
7
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
1
)
Basis of Presentation
Liberty Global plc (
Liberty Global
) is a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales. In these notes, the terms “we,” “our,” “our company” and “us” may refer, as the context requires, to
Liberty Global
or collectively to
Liberty Global
and its subsidiaries. We are an international provider of video, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile and other communications services to consumers and businesses, with consolidated operations at
September 30, 2016
in more than
30
countries.
In Europe, we provide consumer and business-to-business (
B2B
) services in (i) the United Kingdom (
U.K.
) and Ireland through Virgin Media Inc. (
Virgin Media
), (ii) the Netherlands through Ziggo Group Holding B.V. (
Ziggo Group Holding
), (iii) Germany through Unitymedia GmbH (
Unitymedia
), (iv) Belgium through Telenet Group Holding N.V. (
Telenet
), a
57.5%
-owned subsidiary, and (v)
seven
other European countries through UPC Holding B.V. (
UPC Holding
).
Virgin Media
,
Ziggo Group Holding
,
Unitymedia
and
UPC Holding
are each wholly-owned subsidiaries of
Liberty Global
. The operations of
Virgin Media
,
Ziggo Group Holding
,
Unitymedia
,
Telenet
and
UPC Holding
are collectively referred to herein as the “
European Operations Division
.”
In addition, we provide consumer and
B2B
services in (i)
18
countries, predominantly in Latin America and the Caribbean, through our wholly-owned subsidiary Cable & Wireless Communications Limited (formerly known as Cable & Wireless Communications Plc) (
CWC
), (ii) Chile through our wholly-owned subsidiary VTR.com SpA (
VTR
) and (iii) Puerto Rico through Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico LLC (
Liberty Puerto Rico
), an entity in which we hold a
60.0%
ownership interest.
CWC
also provides (a)
B2B
services in certain other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and (b) wholesale services over its sub-sea and terrestrial networks that connect over
30
markets in that region.
CWC
owns less than 100% of certain of its consolidated subsidiaries, including Cable & Wireless Panama, SA (
CWC Panama
) (a
49.0%
-owned entity that owns most of our operations in Panama), The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (
CWC BTC
) (a
49.0%
-owned entity that owns all of our operations in the Bahamas), Cable & Wireless Jamaica Limited (
CWC Jamaica
) (an
82.0%
-owned entity that owns the majority of our operations in Jamaica) and Cable & Wireless Barbados Limited (
CWC Barbados
) (an
81.1%
-owned entity that owns the majority of our operations in Barbados). The operations of
CWC
,
VTR
and
Liberty Puerto Rico
are collectively referred to herein as the “
LiLAC Division
.”
Effective August 3, 2016, in connection with the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
(as defined and described in note
3
), we began accounting for
Ziggo Group Holding
and its subsidiaries and Ziggo Sport Totaal (
Ziggo Sport
and, together with
Ziggo Group Holding
and its subsidiaries, the
Dutch JV Entities
) as held for sale. Ziggo Sport operates premium sports channels in the Netherlands. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are included in assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale, respectively, in our September 30, 2016 condensed consolidated balance sheet. Consistent with the applicable guidance, we have not reflected similar reclassifications in our condensed consolidated statements of operations or our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. For additional information, see note
3
.
On July 1, 2015, we completed the approved steps of the “
LiLAC Transaction
” whereby we (i) reclassified our then outstanding Class A, Class B and Class C
Liberty Global
ordinary shares into corresponding classes of new
Liberty Global
ordinary shares (collectively, the
Liberty Global Shares
) and (ii) capitalized a portion of our share premium account and distributed as a dividend (or a “bonus issue” under
U.K.
law) our LiLAC Class A, Class B and Class C ordinary shares (collectively, the
LiLAC Shares
). In these notes, the term “
Old Liberty Global Shares
” refers to our previously-outstanding Class A, Class B and Class C
Liberty Global
ordinary shares. The impact of the
LiLAC Transaction
on our capitalization and earnings or loss per share (
EPS
) presentation has been reflected in these condensed consolidated financial statements prospectively from July 1, 2015. Accordingly, (a) our net earnings (loss) attributed to
Liberty Global Shares
and
LiLAC Shares
relates to the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2016
and the three months ended September 30, 2015 and (b) our net loss attributed to
Old Liberty Global Shares
relates to the six months ended June 30, 2015.
The
Liberty Global Shares
and the
LiLAC Shares
are tracking shares. Tracking shares are intended by the issuing company
to reflect or “track” the economic performance of a particular business or “group,” rather than the economic performance of the
company as a whole. The
Liberty Global Shares
and the
LiLAC Shares
are intended to track the economic performance of the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
, respectively (each as defined and described below). While the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
have separate collections of businesses, assets and liabilities attributed to them, neither group is a separate legal entity and therefore cannot own assets, issue securities or enter into legally binding agreements. Holders of tracking shares have no direct claim to the group’s assets and are not represented by separate boards of directors. Instead, holders of tracking
8
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
shares are shareholders of the parent corporation, with a single board of directors, and are subject to all of the risks and liabilities of the parent corporation. We and our subsidiaries each continue to be responsible for our respective liabilities. Holders of
Liberty Global Shares
,
LiLAC Shares
and any other of our capital shares designated as ordinary shares from time to time will continue to be subject to risks associated with an investment in our company as a whole, even if a holder does not own both
Liberty Global Shares
and
LiLAC Shares
.
The “
LiLAC Group
” comprises our businesses, assets and liabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean and has attributed to it (i) LGE Coral Holdco Limited (
LGE Coral
) and its subsidiaries, which include
CWC
, (ii) VTR Finance B.V. (
VTR Finance
) and its subsidiaries, which include
VTR
, (iii) Lila Chile Holding B.V. (
Lila Chile Holding
), which is the parent entity of
VTR Finance
, (iv) LiLAC Holdings Inc. (
LiLAC Holdings
) and its subsidiaries, which include
Liberty Puerto Rico
, and (v) prior to July 1, 2015, the costs associated with certain corporate employees of
Liberty Global
that are exclusively focused on the management of the
LiLAC Group
(the
LiLAC Corporate Costs
). Effective July 1, 2015, these corporate employees were transferred to
LiLAC Holdings
. The “
Liberty Global Group
” comprises our businesses, assets and liabilities not attributed to the
LiLAC Group
, including
Virgin Media
,
Ziggo Group Holding
,
Unitymedia
,
Telenet
,
UPC Holding
, our corporate entities (excluding
LiLAC Holdings
) and certain other less significant entities.
For additional information regarding our tracking share capital structure, including unaudited attributed financial information of the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
, see Exhibit 99.1 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (
U.S. GAAP
) and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X for interim financial information. Accordingly, these financial statements do not include all of the information required by
U.S. GAAP
or Securities and Exchange Commission rules and regulations for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, these financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our
2015
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our
2015
Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with
U.S. GAAP
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates and assumptions are used in accounting for, among other things, the valuation of acquisition-related assets and liabilities, allowances for uncollectible accounts, programming and copyright costs, deferred income taxes and related valuation allowances, loss contingencies, fair value measurements, impairment assessments, capitalization of internal costs associated with construction and installation activities, useful lives of long-lived assets, share-based compensation and actuarial liabilities associated with certain benefit plans. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Unless otherwise indicated, ownership percentages and convenience translations into United States (
U.S.
) dollars are calculated as of
September 30, 2016
.
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation, including the reclassification of deferred financing costs from other long-term assets to long-term debt and capital lease obligations and the reclassification of certain costs between operating and SG&A expenses. For additional information regarding the change in the classification of deferred financing costs, see
“Accounting Changes”
in note
2
.
(
2
)
Accounting Changes and Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Accounting Changes
In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (
FASB
) issued Accounting Standards Update (
ASU
) No. 2015-03,
Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs
(
ASU 2015-03
), which requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the debt liability, similar to the presentation of debt discounts. For public entities,
ASU 2015-03
is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We adopted
ASU 2015-03
on January 1, 2016 and, accordingly, deferred financing costs are presented as a reduction of debt in our
9
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
September 30, 2016
and December 31, 2015 condensed consolidated balance sheets. Prior to the adoption of
ASU 2015-03
, we presented deferred financing costs in other assets, net.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the
FASB
issued
ASU
No. 2014-09,
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
(
ASU 2014-09
), which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers.
ASU 2014-09
, as amended by
ASU
No. 2015-14, will replace existing revenue recognition guidance when it becomes effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early application is permitted for annual and interim reporting periods that begin after December 15, 2016. This new standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We will adopt
ASU 2014-09
effective January 1, 2018 using the cumulative effect transition method. We are currently evaluating the effect that
ASU 2014-09
will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting.
In February 2016, the
FASB
issued
ASU
No. 2016-02,
Leases
(
ASU 2016-02
), which, for most leases, will result in lessees recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet with additional disclosures about leasing arrangements.
ASU 2016-02
requires lessees and lessors to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The modified retrospective approach also includes a number of optional practical expedients an entity may elect to apply.
ASU 2016-02
is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that
ASU 2016-02
will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In March 2016, the
FASB
issued
ASU
No. 2016-09,
Compensation
—
Stock Compensation, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
(
ASU 2016-09
), which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification within the statement of cash flows.
ASU 2016-09
is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted.
ASU 2016-09
will result in the reclassification of cash flows from excess tax benefits of share-based compensation from financing activities to operating activities. Further, the accumulation of excess tax benefits will no longer need to be recognized within additional paid-in capital or included as an adjustment within the computation of earnings per share under
ASU 2016-09
.
In June 2016, the
FASB
issued
ASU
No. 2016-13,
Financial Instruments
—
Credit Losses
(
ASU 2016-13
), which changes the way entities measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net earnings.
ASU 2016-13
is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the effect that
ASU 2016-13
will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
(
3
)
Acquisition and Joint Venture Transactions
Pending Joint Venture Transaction
On February 15, 2016, we and Liberty Global Europe Holding B.V., our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a Contribution and Transfer Agreement (the
Contribution Agreement
) with Vodafone Group plc (
Vodafone
) and one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Pursuant to the
Contribution Agreement
, our company and
Vodafone
agreed to form a
50
:
50
joint venture (the
Dutch JV
), which will combine
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Ziggo Sport
with
Vodafone
’s mobile businesses in the Netherlands (
Vodafone NL
) to create a national unified communications provider in the Netherlands with complementary strengths across video, broadband, mobile and
B2B
services. In our segment presentation,
Ziggo Group Holding
is separately reported as
“The Netherlands”
and
Ziggo Sport
is included in our
“Corporate and Other”
category.
At the closing of the transaction contemplated by the
Contribution Agreement
,
Vodafone
will pay to our company an equalization payment equal to approximately
€1.0 billion
(
$1.1 billion
), as adjusted for the defined net debt of
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Vodafone NL
at the time of closing and certain working capital adjustments.
Ziggo Group Holding
will be contributed to the
Dutch JV
together with its outstanding third-party debt, while
Ziggo Sport
and
Vodafone
’s business in the Netherlands will be contributed on a debt and cash free basis.
10
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
As further described in note
7
, certain subsidiaries of
Ziggo Group Holding
entered into various debt financing arrangements in anticipation of the formation of the
Dutch JV
. The parties currently expect to make a pro rata distribution of the net proceeds from the additional debt to our company and
Vodafone
. The
Dutch JV
will be required to make regular cash distributions to its shareholders on a pro rata basis equal to the unrestricted cash held by the
Dutch JV
(subject to the
Dutch JV
maintaining a minimum amount of cash and complying with the terms of its financing arrangements). As an ongoing operation, it is intended that the
Dutch JV
will be funded solely from its net cash flow from operations and third-party financing. This transaction will not trigger any of
Ziggo Group Holding
’s requirements under its debt agreements to redeem its outstanding debt pursuant to applicable change in control provisions.
Pursuant to the Framework Agreement that we expect to enter into in connection with the closing of the
Dutch JV
, our company and
Vodafone
will provide certain services to the
Dutch JV
.
Following completion of the transaction, we expect to account for our
50%
interest in the
Dutch JV
as an equity method investment, and we expect to attribute our
50%
interest in the
Dutch JV
to the
Liberty Global Group
.
The consummation of the transaction contemplated by the
Contribution Agreement
is subject to certain conditions, including competition clearance by the European Commission. On August 3, 2016, the European Commission approved the transaction subject to the divestment by
Vodafone
of its fixed-line business in the Netherlands. It is anticipated that the transaction contemplated by the
Contribution Agreement
will close around the end of 2016. The
Contribution Agreement
also includes customary termination rights, including a right of the parties to terminate the transaction if it has not closed by August 15, 2017.
Effective August 3, 2016, in connection with conditional approval from the European Commission, we began accounting for the
Dutch JV Entities
as held for sale. Accordingly, effective August 3, 2016, we no longer depreciate or amortize the long-lived assets of the
Dutch JV Entities
. We do not present these entities as discontinued operations as this transaction does not represent a strategic shift for
Liberty Global
. Long-lived assets classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. Since the aggregate carrying value of the
Dutch JV Entities
was less than the estimated fair value less cost to sell, no adjustments to the carrying values of these entities were necessary. The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities that are classified as held for sale at
September 30, 2016
are summarized below (in millions):
Assets:
Current assets other than cash (a)
$
214.4
Property and equipment, net
3,232.2
Goodwill
8,113.2
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net
3,626.6
Long-term restricted cash
3,195.2
Other assets, net
165.0
Total assets
$
18,546.6
Liabilities:
Current portion of debt and capital lease obligations
$
281.5
Other accrued and current liabilities
821.8
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations
11,097.8
Other long-term liabilities
1,210.6
Total liabilities
$
13,411.7
_______________
(a)
Under the terms of the
Contribution Agreement
, we are not required to contribute
Ziggo Group Holding
’s cash to the
Dutch JV
.
11
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Our condensed consolidated statements of operations include aggregate net loss attributable to
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Ziggo Sport
of (i)
$166.8 million
and
$118.8 million
for the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and (ii)
$426.3 million
and
$286.6 million
for the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively.
Pending Acquisition
For information regarding a purchase agreement that our subsidiary entered into subsequent to September 30, 2016, see note
15
.
2016 Acquisitions
CWC
.
On
May 16, 2016
, pursuant to a scheme of arrangement and following shareholder approvals, we acquired
CWC
for shares of
Liberty Global
(the
CWC Acquisition
). Under the terms of the transaction,
CWC
shareholders received in the aggregate:
31,607,008
Class A
Liberty Global Shares
,
77,379,774
Class C
Liberty Global Shares
,
3,648,513
Class A
LiLAC Shares
and
8,939,316
Class C
LiLAC Shares
. Further, in accordance with the scheme of arrangement and immediately prior to the acquisition,
CWC
declared a special cash dividend (the
Special Dividend
) to its shareholders in the amount of
£0.03
(
$0.04
at the transaction date) per
CWC
share. The
Special Dividend
was paid to
CWC
shareholders promptly following the closing and the payment, together with fees and expenses related to the acquisition, was funded with
CWC
liquidity, including incremental debt borrowings, and
LiLAC Group
corporate liquidity. We acquired
CWC
in order to achieve certain financial, operational and strategic benefits through the integration of
CWC
with our existing operations in the
LiLAC Group
.
The
CWC Acquisition
triggered regulatory approval requirements in certain jurisdictions in which
CWC
operates. The regulatory authorities in certain of these jurisdictions, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Seychelles and the Cayman Islands, have not completed their review of the
CWC Acquisition
or granted their approval. While we expect to receive all outstanding approvals, such approvals may include binding conditions or requirements that could have an adverse impact on
CWC
’s operations and financial condition.
For accounting purposes, the
CWC Acquisition
was treated as the acquisition of
CWC
by
Liberty Global
. In this regard, the equity and cash consideration paid to acquire
CWC
is set forth below (in millions):
Class A Liberty Global Shares (a)
$
1,167.2
Class C Liberty Global Shares (a)
2,803.5
Class A LiLAC Shares (a)
144.1
Class C LiLAC Shares (a)
375.3
Special Dividend (b)
193.8
Total
$
4,683.9
_______________
(a)
Represents the fair value of the
31,607,008
Class A
Liberty Global Shares
,
77,379,774
Class C
Liberty Global Shares
,
3,648,513
Class A
LiLAC Shares
and
8,939,316
Class C
LiLAC Shares
issued to
CWC
shareholders in connection with the
CWC Acquisition
. These amounts are based on the market price per share at closing on May 16, 2016 of
$36.93
,
$36.23
,
$39.50
and
$41.98
, respectively.
(b)
Represents the
Special Dividend
of
£0.03
(
$0.04
at the transaction date) per
CWC
share paid pursuant to the scheme of arrangement based on
4,433,222,313
outstanding shares of
CWC
on May 16, 2016.
12
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
We have accounted for the
CWC Acquisition
using the acquisition method of accounting, whereby the total purchase price was allocated to the acquired identifiable net assets of
CWC
based on assessments of their respective fair values, and the excess of the purchase price over the fair values of these identifiable net assets was allocated to goodwill. The preliminary opening balance sheet is subject to adjustment based on our final assessment of the fair values of the acquired identifiable assets and liabilities. Most items in the valuation process remain open and are subject to change upon finalization of the valuation process. A summary of the purchase price and the preliminary opening balance sheet of
CWC
at the
May 16, 2016
acquisition date is presented in the following table (in millions):
Cash and cash equivalents
$
210.8
Other current assets
582.2
Property and equipment, net
2,907.2
Goodwill (a)
5,559.8
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net (b)
1,268.5
Other assets, net
581.5
Current portion of debt and capital lease obligations
(92.2
)
Other accrued and current liabilities
(743.5
)
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations
(3,287.8
)
Other long-term liabilities
(850.8
)
Noncontrolling interests (c)
(1,451.8
)
Total purchase price (d)
$
4,683.9
_______________
(a)
The goodwill recognized in connection with the
CWC Acquisition
is primarily attributable to (i) the ability to take advantage of
CWC
’s existing advanced broadband communications and sub-sea and terrestrial networks to gain immediate access to potential customers and (ii) synergies that are expected to be achieved through the integration of
CWC
with other operations in the
LiLAC Group
.
(b)
Amount primarily includes intangible assets related to customer relationships. At May 16, 2016, the preliminary assessment of the weighted average useful life of
CWC
’s intangible assets was approximately
eight years
.
(c)
Represents the aggregate fair value of the noncontrolling interests in
CWC
’s subsidiaries as of
May 16, 2016
.
(d)
Excludes direct acquisition costs of
$117.0 million
, which are included in impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Following completion of the
CWC Acquisition
, we attributed
CWC
to the
LiLAC Group
, with the
Liberty Global Group
being granted an inter-group interest in the
LiLAC Group
representing the fair value (as determined by our board of directors) of the
Liberty Global Shares
issued as part of the purchase consideration. On July 1, 2016, we distributed (as a bonus issue)
117,425,359
LiLAC Shares
to
Liberty Global Group
shareholders on a pro-rata basis (the
LiLAC Distribution
), thereby eliminating the
Liberty Global Group
's inter-group interest in the
LiLAC Group
. The
LiLAC Distribution
was accounted for prospectively effective July 1, 2016.
BASE
. On
February 11, 2016
, pursuant to a definitive agreement and following regulatory approval,
Telenet
acquired Telenet Group BVBA, formerly known as BASE Company NV (
BASE
), for a cash purchase price of
€1,321.9 million
(
$1,497.7 million
at the transaction date) (the
BASE Acquisition
).
BASE
is the third-largest mobile network operator in Belgium. We expect that the
BASE Acquisition
will provide
Telenet
with cost-effective long-term mobile access to effectively compete for future growth opportunities in the Belgium mobile market. The
BASE Acquisition
was funded through a combination of
€1.0 billion
(
$1.1 billion
at the transaction date) of new debt facilities and existing liquidity of
Telenet
. The acquisition was approved by the European Commission subject to
Telenet
’s agreement to divest both the JIM Mobile prepaid customer base and
BASE
’s
50%
stake in Viking Co NV (
Viking
) to MEDIALAAN NV. In February 2016,
Telenet
completed the sale of its stake in
Viking
. The divestiture of the JIM Mobile prepaid customer base is expected to occur during the third quarter of 2017.
13
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
We have accounted for the
BASE Acquisition
using the acquisition method of accounting, whereby the total purchase price was allocated to the acquired identifiable net assets of
BASE
based on assessments of their respective fair values, and the excess of the purchase price over the fair values of these identifiable net assets was allocated to goodwill. The preliminary opening balance sheet is subject to adjustment based on our final assessment of the fair values of the acquired identifiable assets and liabilities. Although most items in the valuation process remain open, the items with the highest likelihood of changing upon finalization of the valuation process include
property and equipment, goodwill, intangible assets associated with mobile spectrum, customer relationships and trademarks and income taxes. A summary of the purchase price and the preliminary opening balance sheet of
BASE
at the
February 11, 2016
acquisition date is presented in the following table (in millions):
Cash and cash equivalents
$
160.1
Other current assets
172.6
Property and equipment, net
785.6
Goodwill (a)
343.2
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net:
Mobile spectrum (b)
261.0
Customer relationships (c)
127.0
Trademarks (d)
40.7
Other assets, net
10.7
Other accrued and current liabilities
(311.8
)
Other long-term liabilities
(91.4
)
Total purchase price (e)
$
1,497.7
_______________
(a)
The goodwill recognized in connection with the
BASE Acquisition
is primarily attributable to (i) the ability to take advantage of
BASE
’s existing mobile network to gain immediate access to potential customers and (ii) synergies that are expected to be achieved through the integration of
BASE
with
Telenet
.
(b)
As of
February 11, 2016
, the weighted average useful life of
BASE
’s mobile spectrum was approximately
11 years
.
(c)
As of
February 11, 2016
, the weighted average useful life of
BASE
’s customer relationships was approximately
seven years
.
(d)
As of
February 11, 2016
, the weighted average useful life of
BASE
’s trademarks was approximately
20 years
.
(e)
Excludes direct acquisition costs of
$17.1 million
, including
$7.1 million
incurred during 2016, which are included in impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net, in our consolidated statements of operations.
2015 Acquisition
On
June 3, 2015
, pursuant to a stock purchase agreement with the parent entity of Puerto Rico Cable Acquisition Company Inc., dba Choice Cable TV (
Choice
) and following regulatory approval, one of our subsidiaries, together with investment funds affiliated with Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. (collectively,
Searchlight
), acquired
100%
of
Choice
(the
Choice Acquisition
).
Choice
is a cable and broadband services provider in Puerto Rico. We acquired
Choice
in order to achieve certain financial, operational and strategic benefits through the integration of
Choice
with
Liberty Puerto Rico
. The combined business is
60.0%
-owned by our company and
40.0%
-owned by
Searchlight
.
The purchase price for
Choice
of
$276.4 million
was funded through (i)
Liberty Puerto Rico
’s incremental debt borrowings, net of discount and fees, of
$259.1 million
, (ii) cash of
$10.5 million
and (iii) an equity contribution from
Searchlight
of
$6.8 million
.
14
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
We have accounted for the
Choice Acquisition
using the acquisition method of accounting, whereby the total purchase price was allocated to the acquired identifiable net assets of
Choice
based on assessments of their respective fair values, and the excess of the purchase price over the fair values of these identifiable net assets was allocated to goodwill. A summary of the purchase price and opening balance sheet of
Choice
at the
June 3, 2015
acquisition date is presented in the following table. The opening balance sheet presented below reflects our final purchase price allocation (in millions):
Cash and cash equivalents
$
3.6
Other current assets
7.8
Property and equipment, net
79.8
Goodwill (a)
51.6
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net (b)
59.1
Franchise rights
147.8
Other assets, net
0.3
Other accrued and current liabilities
(13.2
)
Non-current deferred tax liabilities
(60.4
)
Total purchase price (c)
$
276.4
_______________
(a)
The goodwill recognized in connection with the
Choice Acquisition
is primarily attributable to (i) the ability to take advantage of
Choice
’s existing advanced broadband communications network to gain immediate access to potential customers and (ii) synergies that are expected to be achieved through the integration of
Choice
with
Liberty Puerto Rico
.
(b)
Amount primarily includes intangible assets related to customer relationships. As of June 3, 2015, the weighted average useful life of
Choice
’s intangible assets was approximately
ten years
.
(c)
Excludes direct acquisition costs of
$8.5 million
incurred through December 31, 2015, which were included in impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net, in our consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015.
Pro Forma Information
The following unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated operating results give effect to (i) the
CWC Acquisition
, (ii) the
BASE Acquisition
and (iii) the
Choice Acquisition
, as if they had been completed as of January 1, 2015. These pro forma amounts are not necessarily indicative of the operating results that would have occurred if these transactions had occurred on such date. The pro forma adjustments are based on certain assumptions that we believe are reasonable. In the following table, we present the revenue that is attributed to the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
as if such revenue had been attributed to each group at the beginning of each period presented. However, our presentation of net earnings (loss) and basic and diluted earnings (loss)
per share attributed to (a)
Liberty Global Shares
, (b)
LiLAC Shares
and (c)
Old Liberty Global Shares
only includes the results of operations for the periods during which these shares were outstanding. Accordingly, (1) our
pro forma
net earnings (loss)
attributed to
Liberty Global Shares
and
LiLAC Shares
relates to the nine months ended
September 30, 2016
and the three months ended September 30, 2015 and (2) our pro forma net loss attributed to
Old Liberty Global Shares
relates to the six months ended June 30, 2015.
15
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2015
2016
2015
in millions, except per share amounts
Revenue:
Liberty Global Group
$
4,461.8
$
13,142.8
$
13,284.5
LiLAC Group
904.8
2,694.8
2,734.1
Total
$
5,366.6
$
15,837.6
$
16,018.6
Net earnings (
loss)
attributable to Liberty Global shareholders:
Liberty Global Shares
$
101.1
$
(297.6
)
$
101.1
LiLAC Shares
(1.6
)
45.3
(1.6
)
Old Liberty Global Shares
—
—
(1,230.7
)
Total
$
99.5
$
(252.3
)
$
(1,131.2
)
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) attributable to Liberty Global shareholders per share:
Liberty Global Shares:
Basic
$
0.10
$
(0.32
)
$
0.10
Diluted
$
0.10
$
(0.32
)
$
0.10
LiLAC Shares:
Basic
$
(0.03
)
$
0.47
$
(0.03
)
Diluted
$
(0.03
)
$
0.47
$
(0.03
)
Old Liberty Global Shares:
Basic
$
(1.25
)
Diluted
$
(1.25
)
Our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
include (i) revenue (after intercompany eliminations) of
$568.0 million
and
$853.4 million
, respectively, and net
loss of
$11.6 million
and
$56.4 million
, respectively, attributable to
CWC
and (ii) revenue (after intercompany eliminations) of
$159.8 million
and
$416.0 million
, respectively, and net loss of
$3.0 million
and
$21.8 million
, respectively, attributable to
BASE
.
16
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
4
)
Derivative Instruments
In general, we seek to enter into derivative instruments to protect against (i) increases in the interest rates on our variable-rate debt and (ii) foreign currency movements, particularly with respect to borrowings that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the borrowing entity. In this regard, through our subsidiaries, we have entered into various derivative instruments to manage interest rate exposure and foreign currency exposure with respect to the
U.S.
dollar (
$
), the euro (
€
), the British pound sterling (
£
), the Swiss franc (
CHF
), the Chilean peso (
CLP
), the Czech koruna (
CZK
), the Hungarian forint (
HUF
), the Indian Rupee (
INR
), the Jamaican dollar (
JMD
), the Philippine Peso (
PHP
), the Polish zloty (
PLN
) and the Romanian lei (
RON
). With the exception of a limited number of our foreign currency forward contracts, we do not apply hedge accounting to our derivative instruments. Accordingly, changes in the fair values of most of our derivative instruments are recorded in realized and unrealized gains or losses on derivative instruments, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. For those derivative instruments that we account for using hedge accounting, the effective portions of the gains and losses on these instruments are recorded in other comprehensive loss and are subsequently reclassified into our statement of operations when the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings.
The following table provides details of the fair values of our derivative instrument assets and liabilities:
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
Current
Long-term (a)
Total
Current
Long-term (a)
Total
in millions
Assets:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts:
Liberty Global Group
$
358.8
$
1,803.9
$
2,162.7
$
263.6
$
1,518.5
$
1,782.1
LiLAC Group
6.2
146.8
153.0
11.8
291.7
303.5
Total cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts (b)
365.0
1,950.7
2,315.7
275.4
1,810.2
2,085.6
Equity-related derivative instruments – Liberty Global Group (c)
36.3
839.3
875.6
135.5
273.0
408.5
Foreign currency forward and option contracts:
Liberty Global Group
15.2
14.3
29.5
6.2
—
6.2
LiLAC Group
—
—
—
4.2
—
4.2
Total foreign currency forward and option contracts
15.2
14.3
29.5
10.4
—
10.4
Other – Liberty Global Group
0.3
0.3
0.6
0.6
1.0
1.6
Total assets:
Liberty Global Group
410.6
2,657.8
3,068.4
405.9
1,792.5
2,198.4
LiLAC Group
6.2
146.8
153.0
16.0
291.7
307.7
Total
$
416.8
$
2,804.6
$
3,221.4
$
421.9
$
2,084.2
$
2,506.1
17
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
Current
Long-term (a)
Total
Current
Long-term (a)
Total
in millions
Liabilities:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts:
Liberty Global Group
$
432.8
$
1,391.4
$
1,824.2
$
304.9
$
1,194.7
$
1,499.6
LiLAC Group
24.2
55.8
80.0
—
13.8
13.8
Total cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts (b)
457.0
1,447.2
1,904.2
304.9
1,208.5
1,513.4
Equity-related derivative instruments – Liberty Global Group (c)
13.1
—
13.1
34.7
39.7
74.4
Foreign currency forward and option contracts:
Liberty Global Group
3.5
0.2
3.7
1.1
—
1.1
LiLAC Group
8.9
0.1
9.0
—
—
—
Total foreign currency forward and option contracts
12.4
0.3
12.7
1.1
—
1.1
Other – Liberty Global Group
—
0.1
0.1
5.6
0.1
5.7
Total liabilities:
Liberty Global Group
449.4
1,391.7
1,841.1
346.3
1,234.5
1,580.8
LiLAC Group
33.1
55.9
89.0
—
13.8
13.8
Total
$
482.5
$
1,447.6
$
1,930.1
$
346.3
$
1,248.3
$
1,594.6
_______________
(a)
Our long-term derivative assets and liabilities are included in other assets, net, and other long-term liabilities, respectively, in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.
(b)
We consider credit risk in our fair value assessments. As of
September 30, 2016
and
December 31, 2015
, (i) the fair values of our cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts that represented assets have been reduced by credit risk valuation adjustments aggregating
$98.8 million
(excluding
$3.5 million
related to
Ziggo Group Holding
, which is accounted for as held for sale) and
$64.0 million
, respectively, and (ii) the fair values of our cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts that represented liabilities have been reduced by credit risk valuation adjustments aggregating
$144.1 million
(excluding
$74.5 million
related to
Ziggo Group Holding
, which is accounted for as held for sale) and
$86.5 million
, respectively. The adjustments to our derivative assets relate to the credit risk associated with counterparty nonperformance, and the adjustments to our derivative liabilities relate to credit risk associated with our own nonperformance. In all cases, the adjustments take into account offsetting liability or asset positions within a given contract. Our determination of credit risk valuation adjustments generally is based on our and our counterparties’ credit risks, as observed in the credit default swap market and market quotations for certain of our subsidiaries’ debt instruments, as applicable. The changes in the credit risk valuation adjustments associated with our cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts resulted in a net gain (loss) of
$80.4 million
and (
$29.9 million
) during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and net gains of
$87.5 million
and
$30.4 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. These amounts are included in realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. For further information regarding our fair value measurements, see note
5
.
(c)
Our equity-related derivative instruments primarily include the fair value of (i) the share collar (the
ITV Collar
) with respect to ITV plc (
ITV
) shares held by our company, (ii) the share collar (the
Sumitomo Collar
) with respect to the shares of Sumitomo Corporation (
Sumitomo
) held by our company, (iii) the prepaid forward transaction (the
Lionsgate Forward
) with respect to
2.5 million
of the shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (
Lionsgate
) held by our company and (iv)
Virgin Media
’s conversion hedges (the
Virgin Media Capped Calls
) with respect to
Virgin Media
’s
6.50%
convertible senior notes. The fair values of the
ITV Collar
, the
Sumitomo Collar
and the
Lionsgate Forward
do not include credit risk valuation
18
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
adjustments as we assume that any losses incurred by our company in the event of nonperformance by the respective counterparty would be, subject to relevant insolvency laws, fully offset against amounts we owe to such counterparty pursuant to the related secured borrowing arrangements.
The details of our realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net, are as follows:
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts:
Liberty Global Group
$
(300.1
)
$
392.4
$
(235.7
)
$
507.0
LiLAC Group
(52.4
)
139.9
(233.6
)
217.5
Total cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
(352.5
)
532.3
(469.3
)
724.5
Equity-related derivative instruments – Liberty Global Group:
ITV Collar
(46.8
)
103.1
466.9
(55.8
)
Sumitomo Collar
(38.8
)
92.0
96.2
20.1
Lionsgate Forward
(0.1
)
—
21.9
—
Other
0.7
(1.3
)
1.6
(0.2
)
Total equity-related derivative instruments
(85.0
)
193.8
586.6
(35.9
)
Foreign currency forward contracts:
Liberty Global Group
2.6
10.8
0.7
(16.6
)
LiLAC Group
(1.4
)
5.3
(10.3
)
8.3
Total foreign currency forward contracts
1.2
16.1
(9.6
)
(8.3
)
Other – Liberty Global Group
(0.1
)
(0.2
)
(0.8
)
0.5
Total Liberty Global Group
(382.6
)
596.8
350.8
455.0
Total LiLAC Group
(53.8
)
145.2
(243.9
)
225.8
Total
$
(436.4
)
$
742.0
$
106.9
$
680.8
19
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The net cash received or paid related to our derivative instruments is classified as an operating, investing or financing activity in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows based on the objective of the derivative instrument and the classification of the applicable underlying cash flows. For foreign currency forward contracts that are used to hedge capital expenditures, the net cash received or paid is classified as an adjustment to capital expenditures in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. For derivative contracts that are terminated prior to maturity, the cash paid or received upon termination that relates to future periods is classified as a financing activity. The classification of these net cash outflows is as follows:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
in millions
Operating activities:
Liberty Global Group
$
24.2
$
(159.3
)
LiLAC Group
0.5
(31.1
)
Total operating activities
24.7
(190.4
)
Investing activities:
Liberty Global Group
—
14.5
LiLAC Group
(1.7
)
0.6
Total investing activities
(1.7
)
15.1
Financing activities – Liberty Global Group
(39.5
)
(298.8
)
Total cash outflows:
Liberty Global Group
(15.3
)
(443.6
)
LiLAC Group
(1.2
)
(30.5
)
Total
$
(16.5
)
$
(474.1
)
Counterparty Credit Risk
We are exposed to the risk that the counterparties to the derivative instruments of our subsidiary borrowing groups will default on their obligations to us. We manage these credit risks through the evaluation and monitoring of the creditworthiness of, and concentration of risk with, the respective counterparties. In this regard, credit risk associated with our derivative instruments is spread across a relatively broad counterparty base of banks and financial institutions. With the exception of a limited number of instances where we have required a counterparty to post collateral, collateral has not been posted by either party under the derivative instruments of our subsidiary borrowing groups. At
September 30, 2016
, our exposure to counterparty credit risk included derivative assets with an aggregate fair value of
$2,145.0 million
.
Details of our Derivative Instruments
In the following tables, we present the details of the various categories of our subsidiaries’ derivative instruments. For each subsidiary with multiple derivative instruments that mature within the same calendar month, the notional amounts are shown in the aggregate, and interest rates are presented on a weighted average basis. In addition, for derivative instruments that were in effect as of
September 30, 2016
, we present a single date that represents the applicable final maturity date. For derivative instruments that become effective subsequent to
September 30, 2016
, we present a range of dates that represents the period covered by the applicable derivative instruments.
20
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Cross-currency and Interest Rate Derivative Contracts
Cross-currency Swaps:
The terms of our outstanding cross-currency swap contracts at
September 30, 2016
are as follows:
Subsidiary /
F
inal maturity date
Notional
amount
due from
counterparty
Notional
amount
due to
counterparty
Interest rate
due from
counterparty
Interest rate
due to (from)
counterparty
in millions
Virgin Media Investment Holdings Limited (
VMIH
), a subsidiary of Virgin Media:
January 2023
$
400.0
€
339.6
5.75%
4.33%
June 2023
$
1,855.0
£
1,198.3
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.75%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 3.18%
February 2022
$
1,275.0
£
795.2
4.99%
5.44%
January 2023
$
1,000.0
£
648.6
5.25%
5.32%
August 2024
$
750.0
£
527.0
5.50%
5.46%
February 2022 (a)
$
708.5
£
442.8
0.29%
0.33%
April 2023 (a)
$
480.0
£
299.1
1.55%
1.78%
February 2022 - April 2023
$
475.0
£
295.6
4.88%
5.32%
October 2022
$
450.0
£
272.0
6.00%
6.43%
January 2021
$
447.9
£
276.7
5.25%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 2.06%
January 2022
$
425.0
£
255.8
5.50%
4.86%
January 2022 - January 2025
$
425.0
£
255.8
3 mo. LIBOR
4.86%
April 2019
$
191.5
£
122.3
5.38%
5.49%
April 2019 - February 2022
$
191.5
£
122.3
5.38%
5.54%
February 2022
$
125.0
£
78.4
5.25%
5.91%
October 2019
$
100.0
£
65.4
7.19%
7.23%
February 2022 (a)
$
100.0
£
62.2
0.50%
0.56%
November 2016 (a)
$
55.0
£
27.7
6.50%
7.03%
October 2019 - October 2022
$
50.0
£
30.7
6.00%
5.75%
October 2019 - April 2023
$
50.0
£
30.3
6.38%
6.84%
October 2019 (a)
£
30.3
$
50.0
2.14%
2.00%
UPC Broadband Holding B.V. (
UPC Broadband Holding
), a subsidiary of UPC Holding:
January 2023
$
1,140.0
€
1,043.7
5.38%
3.71%
August 2024
$
338.5
€
259.4
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 3.32%
August 2024
$
325.0
€
238.7
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
3.87%
January 2017 - August 2024
$
262.1
€
194.1
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 3.13%
August 2024
$
250.0
€
181.4
7.25%
7.15%
21
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Subsidiary /
F
inal maturity date
Notional
amount
due from
counterparty
Notional
amount
due to
counterparty
Interest rate
due from
counterparty
Interest rate
due to (from)
counterparty
in millions
January 2022
$
221.0
€
165.3
6 mo. LIBOR + 4.07%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 4.27%
January 2022
$
177.5
€
135.3
6 mo. LIBOR + 4.96%
6.89%
July 2021
$
128.0
€
97.2
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.50%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.90%
December 2016
$
340.0
CHF
370.9
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.50%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 4.01%
August 2024
$
225.0
CHF
206.3
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
3.02%
January 2017 - July 2023
$
200.0
CHF
185.5
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.50%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.48%
August 2024
$
200.0
CHF
186.0
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 3.05%
November 2016
$
175.0
CHF
158.7
7.25%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 5.01%
November 2016 - August 2024
$
175.0
CHF
158.7
7.25%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 5.01%
January 2017 - July 2021
$
100.0
CHF
92.8
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.50%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.49%
July 2021 - August 2024
$
100.0
CHF
92.8
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.48%
January 2022
$
201.5
RON
489.3
6 mo. LIBOR + 3.50%
10.94%
August 2024 (a)
€
379.2
$
425.0
2.45%
2.76%
September 2022
€
600.0
CHF
728.2
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.59%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.71%
July 2023
€
450.0
CHF
488.6
—%
(0.45)%
January 2017 - August 2024
€
383.8
CHF
477.0
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.00%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.27%
October 2016
€
285.1
CHF
346.7
10.51%
(0.73)%
October 2016 - January 2020
€
285.1
CHF
346.7
10.51%
9.42%
January 2021
€
234.2
CHF
285.0
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.50%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.67%
January 2017
€
199.4
CHF
325.0
6 mo. EURIBOR + 3.75%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 3.95%
January 2020
€
175.0
CHF
258.6
7.63%
6.76%
January 2020
€
161.0
CHF
264.0
6 mo. EURIBOR + 3.75%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.88%
July 2023
€
85.3
CHF
95.0
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.21%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 2.65%
January 2017
€
75.0
CHF
110.9
7.63%
6.98%
August 2024
€
70.1
CHF
84.8
6 mo. EURIBOR + 2.50%
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 3.07%
January 2020
€
318.9
CZK
8,818.7
5.58%
5.44%
January 2022
€
99.6
CZK
2,703.1
4.51%
4.82%
December 2021
€
488.0
HUF
138,437.5
5.50%
7.39%
January 2022
€
707.0
PLN
2,999.5
5.10%
8.15%
January 2020
€
144.6
PLN
605.0
5.50%
7.98%
Unitymedia Hessen GmbH & Co. KG (
Unitymedia Hessen
), a subsidiary of Unitymedia:
January 2023
$
2,450.0
€
1,799.0
5.62%
4.76%
22
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Subsidiary /
F
inal maturity date
Notional
amount
due from
counterparty
Notional
amount
due to
counterparty
Interest rate
due from
counterparty
Interest rate
due to (from)
counterparty
in millions
Telenet International Finance S.a.r.l (
Telenet International
), a subsidiary of Telenet:
June 2024
$
850.0
€
743.3
3 mo. LIBOR + 3.50%
3.47%
Sable International Finance Limited (
Sable
), a subsidiary of CWC:
December 2022
$
108.3
JMD
13,817.5
—%
8.75%
March 2019
£
146.7
$
194.3
8.63%
9.79%
VTR:
January 2022
$
1,400.0
CLP
951,390.0
6.88%
6.36%
_______________
(a)
Unlike the other cross-currency swaps presented in this table, the identified cross-currency swaps do not involve the exchange of notional amounts at the inception and maturity of the instruments. Accordingly, the only cash flows associated with these derivative instruments are interest payments and receipts.
Interest Rate Swaps:
The terms of our outstanding interest rate swap contracts at
September 30, 2016
are as follows:
Subsidiary / Final maturity date
Notional amount
Interest rate due from
counterparty
Interest rate due to (from)
counterparty
in millions
VMIH:
October 2016 - October 2017
$
1,885.0
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.47%
1 mo. LIBOR + 2.75%
October 2018
£
1,198.3
6 mo. GBP LIBOR
1.52%
October 2018 - June 2023
£
1,198.3
6 mo. GBP LIBOR
2.49%
June 2023
£
882.7
6 mo. GBP LIBOR
1.68%
January 2021
£
628.4
5.50%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 1.84%
January 2021
£
555.1
6 mo. GBP LIBOR
1.42%
June 2023
£
375.0
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 3.13%
4.35%
January 2021
£
350.0
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 1.84%
3.87%
June 2022
£
100.0
6 mo. GBP LIBOR
1.54%
February 2022
£
140.6
5.83%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 4.72%
April 2023
£
108.9
6.85%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 5.62%
October 2022
£
51.5
6.42%
6 mo. GBP LIBOR + 5.23%
UPC Broadband Holding:
January 2017 - January 2018
$
2,150.0
1 mo. LIBOR + 3.00%
6 mo. LIBOR + 2.56%
January 2022
$
600.0
6.88%
6 mo. LIBOR + 4.90%
August 2024
$
425.0
6 mo. LIBOR + 5.76%
7.25%
September 2022
€
600.0
6.38%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 4.14%
23
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Subsidiary / Final maturity date
Notional amount
Interest rate due from
counterparty
Interest rate due to (from)
counterparty
in millions
January 2021
€
235.1
6 mo. EURIBOR
2.52%
January 2023
€
210.0
6 mo. EURIBOR
2.88%
January 2022
€
165.3
6 mo. EURIBOR
2.85%
July 2020
€
150.0
6.38%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 3.17%
August 2024
CHF
870.9
6 mo. CHF LIBOR
0.48%
September 2022
CHF
729.8
6 mo. CHF LIBOR
1.75%
July 2021 - August 2024
CHF
400.0
6 mo. CHF LIBOR
0.02%
July 2021
CHF
400.0
6 mo. CHF LIBOR
0.40%
November 2016
CHF
226.8
6 mo. CHF LIBOR
(1.27)%
November 2016 - August 2024
CHF
226.8
6 mo. CHF LIBOR + 5.01%
5.66%
Unitymedia Hessen:
January 2023
€
268.2
5.01%
6 mo. EURIBOR + 4.82%
Telenet International:
June 2023
€
1,300.0
3 mo. EURIBOR
0.33%
July 2017
€
800.0
3 mo. EURIBOR
(0.17)%
July 2017 - June 2022
€
420.0
3 mo. EURIBOR
2.08%
July 2017 - June 2023
€
382.0
3 mo. EURIBOR
1.89%
June 2022
€
55.0
3 mo. EURIBOR
1.81%
Sable:
December 2022
$
800.0
3 mo. LIBOR
1.83%
Liberty Puerto Rico:
October 2016 - January 2022
$
506.3
3 mo. LIBOR
2.49%
October 2016 - January 2019
$
168.8
3 mo. LIBOR
1.96%
24
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Interest Rate Caps
Our purchased and sold interest rate cap contracts with respect to
EURIBOR
and LIBOR at
September 30, 2016
are detailed below:
Subsidiary / Final maturity date
Notional amount
Cap rate
in millions
Interest rate caps purchased:
Liberty Global Europe Financing B.V. (
LGE Financing
), the immediate parent of UPC Holding (a):
January 2020
€
735.0
7.00%
Telenet International (a):
June 2017
€
50.0
4.50%
Telenet N.V., a subsidiary of Telenet (a):
December 2017
€
0.3
6.50%
December 2017
€
0.3
5.50%
Liberty Puerto Rico (b):
October 2016 - January 2022
$
258.8
3.50%
January 2019 - July 2023
$
177.5
3.50%
Interest rate cap sold (c):
UPC Broadband Holding:
January 2020
€
735.0
7.00%
_______________
(a)
These purchased interest rate caps entitle us to receive payments from the counterparty when the relevant
EURIBOR
exceeds the
EURIBOR
cap rate during the specified observation periods.
(b)
These purchased interest rate caps entitle us to receive payments from the counterparty when the relevant LIBOR exceeds the LIBOR cap rate during the specified observation periods.
(c)
Our sold interest rate cap requires that we make payments to the counterparty when the relevant
EURIBOR
exceeds the
EURIBOR
cap rate during the specified observation periods.
Interest Rate Collars
Our interest rate collar contracts establish floor and cap rates with respect to
EURIBOR
on the indicated notional amounts at
September 30, 2016
, as detailed below:
Subsidiary / Final maturity date
Notional
amount
EURIBOR floor rate (a)
EURIBOR cap rate (b)
in millions
UPC Broadband Holding:
January 2020
€
1,135.0
1.00%
3.54%
_______________
(a)
We make payments to the counterparty when the relevant
EURIBOR
is less than the
EURIBOR
floor rate during the specified observation periods.
25
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(b)
We receive payments from the counterparty when the relevant
EURIBOR
is greater than the
EURIBOR
cap rate during the specified observation periods.
Foreign Currency Forwards
The following table summarizes our outstanding foreign currency forward contracts at
September 30, 2016
:
Subsidiary
Currency
purchased
forward
Currency
sold
forward
Maturity dates
in millions
LGE Financing
$
206.1
€
179.1
October 2016 - October 2018
LGE Financing
$
127.9
£
89.1
October 2016 - December 2018
LGE Financing
€
155.3
£
124.2
October 2016 - December 2018
LGE Financing
£
2.7
€
3.2
April 2017 - December 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
$
3.2
CZK
75.0
October 2016 - December 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
€
47.8
CHF
52.4
October 2016 - June 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
€
25.1
CZK
675.0
October 2016 - December 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
€
23.7
HUF
7,500.0
October 2016 - December 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
€
45.0
PLN
199.6
October 2016 - December 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
€
1.5
RON
6.5
October 2016
UPC Broadband Holding
£
1.8
€
2.4
October 2016 - March 2017
UPC Broadband Holding
CHF
53.0
€
48.8
October 2016
UPC Broadband Holding
CZK
410.0
€
15.2
October 2016
UPC Broadband Holding
HUF
3,500.0
€
11.3
October 2016
UPC Broadband Holding
PLN
81.0
€
18.8
October 2016
Telenet N.V.
$
47.1
€
41.9
October 2016 - May 2017
VTR
$
186.9
CLP
131,042.1
October 2016 - December 2017
Foreign Currency Forward Options
The following tables sets forth the outstanding foreign currency forward option contracts outstanding as of September 30, 2016:
Subsidiary
Notional (a)
Exchange Currency
Option Price per £1
Maturity dates
in millions
Virgin Media
£
7.1
Indian rupee
INR
92.27
October 2016 - January 2017
Virgin Media
£
2.2
Indian rupee
INR
89.06
October 2016 - February 2017
Virgin Media
£
1.0
Indian rupee
INR
100.53
October 2016 - February 2017
Virgin Media
£
6.3
Philippine peso
PHP
66.75
October 2016 - February 2017
Virgin Media
£
4.4
Philippine peso
PHP
66.31
March 2017
Virgin Media
£
2.9
Philippine peso
PHP
66.69
October 2016 - January 2017
Virgin Media
£
1.5
Philippine peso
PHP
65.84
January 2017 - March 2017
(a)
We account for all of these contracts using hedge accounting.
26
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Equity-related Derivatives
On May 22, 2016, the first tranches of the
Sumitomo Collar
and related borrowings (the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
) became due and were settled using shares of
Sumitomo
that were borrowed pursuant to a securities lending arrangement (the
Sumitomo Share Loan
). The aggregate market value of the borrowed
Sumitomo
shares on the transaction date was
$91.4 million
. For additional information, see note
7
.
(
5
)
Fair Value Measurements
We use the fair value method to account for (i) certain of our investments, (ii) our derivative instruments, (iii) certain instruments that we classify as debt and (iv) the
Sumitomo Share Loan
. The reported fair values of these investments and instruments as of
September 30, 2016
likely will not represent the value that will be paid or received upon the ultimate settlement or disposition of these assets and liabilities. In the case of the investments that we account for using the fair value method, the values we realize upon disposition will be dependent upon, among other factors, market conditions and the forecasted financial performance of the investees at the time of any such disposition. With respect to our derivative and debt instruments, we expect that the values realized generally will be based on market conditions at the time of settlement, which may occur at the maturity of the derivative instrument or at the time of the repayment or refinancing of the underlying debt instrument.
U.S. GAAP
provides for a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted market prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. We record transfers of assets or liabilities into or out of Levels 1, 2 or 3 at the beginning of the quarter during which the transfer occurred. During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
, no such transfers were made.
All of our Level 2 inputs (interest rate futures, swap rates and certain of the inputs for our weighted average cost of capital calculations) and certain of our Level 3 inputs (forecasted volatilities and credit spreads) are obtained from pricing services. These inputs, or interpolations or extrapolations thereof, are used in our internal models to calculate, among other items, yield curves, forward interest and currency rates and weighted average cost of capital rates. In the normal course of business, we receive market value assessments from the counterparties to our derivative contracts. Although we compare these assessments to our internal valuations and investigate unexpected differences, we do not otherwise rely on counterparty quotes to determine the fair values of our derivative instruments. The midpoints of applicable bid and ask ranges generally are used as inputs for our internal valuations.
For our investments in
ITV
,
Sumitomo
and
Lionsgate
, the recurring fair value measurements are based on the quoted closing price of the respective shares at each reporting date. Accordingly, the valuations of these investments fall under Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Our other investments that we account for at fair value are privately-held companies, and therefore, quoted market prices are unavailable. The valuation technique we use for such investments is a combination of an income approach (discounted cash flow model based on forecasts) and a market approach (market multiples of similar businesses). With the exception of certain inputs for our weighted average cost of capital calculations that are derived from pricing services, the inputs used to value these investments are based on unobservable inputs derived from our assumptions. Therefore, the valuation of our privately-held investments falls under Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. Any reasonably foreseeable changes in assumed levels of unobservable inputs for the valuations of our Level 3 investments would not be expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.
During the second quarter of 2016, we entered into the
Sumitomo Share Loan
. As the primary input for this recurring fair value measurement is the quoted market price of the borrowed shares of
Sumitomo
, we believe this valuation falls under Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
The recurring fair value measurement of our equity-related derivative instruments are based on binomial option pricing models, which require the input of observable and unobservable variables such as exchange-traded equity prices, risk-free interest rates, dividend yields and forecasted volatilities of the underlying equity securities. The valuations of our equity-related derivative instruments are based on a combination of Level 1 inputs (exchange-traded equity prices), Level 2 inputs (interest rate futures and swap rates) and Level 3 inputs (forecasted volatilities). As changes in volatilities could have a significant impact on the overall valuations, we have determined that these valuations fall under Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. At
September 30, 2016
, the
27
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
valuations of the
ITV Collar
, the
Sumitomo Collar
, the
Virgin Media Capped Calls
and the
Lionsgate Forward
were not significantly impacted by forecasted volatilities.
In order to manage our interest rate and foreign currency exchange risk, we have entered into (i) various derivative instruments and (ii) certain instruments that we classify as debt, as further described in note
4
. The recurring fair value measurements of these instruments are determined using discounted cash flow models. With the exception of the inputs for the
U.S.
dollar to Jamaican dollar cross-currency swaps (the
Sable Currency Swap
) held by
Sable
, most of the inputs to these discounted cash flow models consist of, or are derived from, observable Level 2 data for substantially the full term of these instruments. This observable data includes most interest rate futures and swap rates, which are retrieved or derived from available market data. Although we may extrapolate or interpolate this data, we do not otherwise alter this data in performing our valuations. We incorporate a credit risk valuation adjustment in our fair value measurements to estimate the impact of both our own nonperformance risk and the nonperformance risk of our counterparties. Our and our counterparties’ credit spreads represent our most significant Level 3 inputs, and these inputs are used to derive the credit risk valuation adjustments with respect to these instruments. As we would not expect changes in our or our counterparties’ credit spreads to have a significant impact on the valuations of these instruments, we have determined that these valuations (other than the
Sable Currency Swap
valuation) fall under Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Due to the lack of Level 2 inputs for the
Sable Currency Swap
valuation, we believe this valuation falls under Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. Our credit risk valuation adjustments with respect to our cross-currency and interest rate swaps are quantified and further explained in note
4
.
Fair value measurements are also used in connection with nonrecurring valuations performed in connection with impairment assessments and acquisition accounting. These nonrecurring valuations include the valuation of reporting units, customer relationship intangible assets, property and equipment and the implied value of goodwill. The valuation of private reporting units is based at least in part on discounted cash flow analyses. With the exception of certain inputs for our weighted average cost of capital and discount rate calculations that are derived from pricing services, the inputs used in our discounted cash flow analyses, such as forecasts of future cash flows, are based on our assumptions. The valuation of customer relationships is primarily based on an excess earnings methodology, which is a form of a discounted cash flow analysis. The excess earnings methodology requires us to estimate the specific cash flows expected from the customer relationship, considering such factors as estimated customer life, the revenue expected to be generated over the life of the customer relationship, contributory asset charges and other factors. Tangible assets are typically valued using a replacement or reproduction cost approach, considering factors such as current prices of the same or similar equipment, the age of the equipment and economic obsolescence. The implied value of goodwill is determined by allocating the fair value of a reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination, with the residual amount allocated to goodwill. All of our nonrecurring valuations use significant unobservable inputs and therefore fall under Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
, we performed nonrecurring valuations for the purpose of determining (i) the acquisition accounting for the
CWC Acquisition
and
BASE Acquisition
and (ii) the held-for-sale accounting for the
Dutch JV Entities
. The weighted average discount rates used to value the customer relationships acquired as a result of the
CWC Acquisition
ranged from
8.8%
to
12.8%
, and the weighted average cost of capital used to value the
Dutch JV Entities
was
7.5%
. None of the valuations for the
BASE Acquisition
had a significant impact on our consolidated balance sheet. For additional information, see note
3
.
28
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
A summary of our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis is as follows:
Fair value measurements at
September 30, 2016 using:
Description
September 30,
2016
Quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical assets
(Level 1)
Significant
other
observable
inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
unobservable
inputs
(Level 3)
in millions
Assets:
Derivative instruments:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
$
2,315.7
$
—
$
2,315.7
$
—
Equity-related derivative instruments
875.6
—
—
875.6
Foreign currency forward and option contracts
29.5
—
29.5
—
Other
0.6
—
0.6
—
Total derivative instruments
3,221.4
—
2,345.8
875.6
Investments
1,936.1
1,573.0
—
363.1
Total assets
$
5,157.5
$
1,573.0
$
2,345.8
$
1,238.7
Liabilities:
Derivative instruments:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
$
1,904.2
$
—
$
1,895.6
$
8.6
Equity-related derivative instruments
13.1
—
—
13.1
Foreign currency forward and option contracts
12.7
—
12.7
—
Other
0.1
—
0.1
—
Total derivative liabilities
1,930.1
—
1,908.4
21.7
Debt
287.4
101.2
186.2
—
Total liabilities
$
2,217.5
$
101.2
$
2,094.6
$
21.7
29
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Fair value measurements at
December 31, 2015 using:
Description
December 31, 2015
Quoted prices
in active
markets for
identical assets
(Level 1)
Significant
other
observable
inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
unobservable
inputs
(Level 3)
in millions
Assets:
Derivative instruments:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
$
2,085.6
$
—
$
2,085.6
$
—
Equity-related derivative instruments
408.5
—
—
408.5
Foreign currency forward contracts
10.4
—
10.4
—
Other
1.6
—
1.6
—
Total derivative instruments
2,506.1
—
2,097.6
408.5
Investments
2,591.8
2,257.2
—
334.6
Total assets
$
5,097.9
$
2,257.2
$
2,097.6
$
743.1
Liabilities - derivative instruments:
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
$
1,513.4
$
—
$
1,513.4
$
—
Equity-related derivative instruments
74.4
—
—
74.4
Foreign currency forward contracts
1.1
—
1.1
—
Other
5.7
—
5.7
—
Total liabilities
$
1,594.6
$
—
$
1,520.2
$
74.4
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of our assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable, or Level 3, inputs is as follows:
Investments
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts
Equity-related
derivative
instruments
Total
in millions
Balance of net assets at January 1, 2016
$
334.6
$
—
$
334.1
$
668.7
Gains included in net earnings (loss) (a):
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net
—
(8.6
)
586.6
578.0
Realized and unrealized gains due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, net
116.2
—
—
116.2
Partial settlement of Sumitomo Collar (b)
—
—
(83.2
)
(83.2
)
Dispositions
(121.4
)
—
—
(121.4
)
Additions
45.8
—
—
45.8
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other, net
(12.1
)
—
4.5
(7.6
)
Reclassification of liability to held for sale (c)
—
—
20.5
20.5
Balance of net assets at September 30, 2016
$
363.1
$
(8.6
)
$
862.5
$
1,217.0
_______________
(a)
Includes an aggregate gain of
$100.8 million
related to net assets that were sold or settled and, accordingly, are no longer included on our
September 30, 2016
balance sheet.
30
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(b)
For additional information regarding the partial settlement of the
Sumitomo Collar
, see note
4
.
(c)
Represents a derivative liability of the
Dutch JV Entities
. For additional information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
(
6
)
Long-lived Assets
Property and Equipment, Net
The details of our property and equipment and the related accumulated depreciation are set forth below:
September 30,
2016
December 31,
2015
in millions
Distribution systems:
Liberty Global Group
$
22,009.5
$
24,447.2
LiLAC Group
3,575.8
1,037.8
Total
25,585.3
25,485.0
Customer premises equipment:
Liberty Global Group
5,091.6
5,651.1
LiLAC Group
1,020.5
801.4
Total
6,112.1
6,452.5
Support equipment, buildings and land:
Liberty Global Group
4,359.5
4,461.4
LiLAC Group
921.6
341.0
Total
5,281.1
4,802.4
Total property and equipment, gross:
Liberty Global Group
31,460.6
34,559.7
LiLAC Group
5,517.9
2,180.2
Total
36,978.5
36,739.9
Accumulated depreciation:
Liberty Global Group
(13,674.2
)
(13,719.2
)
LiLAC Group
(1,698.1
)
(1,336.7
)
Total
(15,372.3
)
(15,055.9
)
Total property and equipment, net:
Liberty Global Group
17,786.4
20,840.5
LiLAC Group
3,819.8
843.5
Total
$
21,606.2
$
21,684.0
During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, we recorded non-cash increases to our property and equipment related to vendor financing arrangements of
$1,439.3 million
and
$1,090.6 million
, respectively, which exclude related value-added taxes (
VAT
) of
$193.4 million
and
$139.2 million
, respectively, that were also financed by our vendors under these arrangements. In addition, during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, we recorded non-cash increases to our property and equipment related to assets acquired under capital leases of
$78.0 million
and
$89.3 million
, respectively.
31
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Goodwill
Changes in the carrying amount of our goodwill during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
are set forth below:
January 1, 2016
Acquisitions
and related
adjustments
Reclassification to assets held for sale (b)
Foreign
currency
translation
adjustments and other
September 30,
2016
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
8,790.7
$
0.2
$
—
$
(1,012.8
)
$
7,778.1
The Netherlands
7,851.3
—
(8,097.6
)
246.3
—
Germany
3,104.4
—
—
103.4
3,207.8
Belgium
1,777.1
343.2
—
56.1
2,176.4
Switzerland/Austria
3,500.4
—
—
103.1
3,603.5
Total Western Europe
25,023.9
343.4
(8,097.6
)
(503.9
)
16,765.8
Central and Eastern Europe
1,186.9
1.5
—
42.7
1,231.1
Total European Operations Division
26,210.8
344.9
(8,097.6
)
(461.2
)
17,996.9
Corporate and other
34.0
—
—
(0.3
)
33.7
Total Liberty Global Group
26,244.8
344.9
(8,097.6
)
(461.5
)
18,030.6
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC
—
5,559.8
—
(35.0
)
5,524.8
Chile
377.0
—
—
29.0
406.0
Puerto Rico
277.7
—
—
—
277.7
Total LiLAC Division
654.7
5,559.8
—
(6.0
)
6,208.5
Corporate and other (a)
120.9
—
—
—
120.9
Total LiLAC Group
775.6
5,559.8
—
(6.0
)
6,329.4
Total
$
27,020.4
$
5,904.7
$
(8,097.6
)
$
(467.5
)
$
24,360.0
_______________
(a)
Represents enterprise-level goodwill that is allocated to our Puerto Rico segment for purposes of our impairment tests.
(b)
Represents goodwill of the
Dutch JV Entities
. For additional information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
If, among other factors, (i) our equity values were to decline significantly or (ii) the adverse impacts of economic, competitive, regulatory or other factors were to cause our results of operations or cash flows to be worse than anticipated, we could conclude in future periods that impairment charges are required in order to reduce the carrying values of our goodwill and, to a lesser extent, other long-lived assets. Any such impairment charges could be significant.
32
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization, Net
The details of our intangible assets subject to amortization are set forth below:
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
Gross carrying amount
Accumulated amortization
Net carrying amount
Gross carrying amount
Accumulated amortization
Net carrying amount
in millions
Customer relationships:
Liberty Global Group
$
5,809.4
$
(3,387.4
)
$
2,422.0
$
10,285.3
$
(3,410.7
)
$
6,874.6
LiLAC Group
1,303.9
(112.2
)
1,191.7
149.0
(31.7
)
117.3
Total
7,113.3
(3,499.6
)
3,613.7
10,434.3
(3,442.4
)
6,991.9
Other:
Liberty Global Group
509.4
(146.1
)
363.3
205.3
(104.8
)
100.5
LiLAC Group
102.7
(3.5
)
99.2
0.2
(0.1
)
0.1
Total
612.1
(149.6
)
462.5
205.5
(104.9
)
100.6
Total intangible assets subject to amortization, net:
Liberty Global Group
6,318.8
(3,533.5
)
2,785.3
10,490.6
(3,515.5
)
6,975.1
LiLAC Group
1,406.6
(115.7
)
1,290.9
149.2
(31.8
)
117.4
Total
$
7,725.4
$
(3,649.2
)
$
4,076.2
$
10,639.8
$
(3,547.3
)
$
7,092.5
33
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
7
)
Debt and Capital Lease Obligations
The
U.S.
dollar equivalents of the components of our consolidated third-party debt are as follows:
September 30, 2016
Principal amount
Weighted
average
interest
rate (a)
Unused borrowing capacity (b)
Estimated fair value (c)
Borrowing currency
U.S. $
equivalent
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
VM Notes
5.59
%
—
$
—
$
11,021.9
$
10,594.1
$
10,643.5
$
10,551.5
VM Credit Facility (d)
3.87
%
(e)
875.5
3,209.5
3,413.7
3,198.7
3,471.1
Unitymedia Notes
4.99
%
—
—
8,034.4
7,631.6
7,740.1
7,682.0
Unitymedia Revolving Credit Facilities
—
€
500.0
561.4
—
—
—
—
UPCB SPE Notes
5.36
%
—
—
2,447.1
3,131.7
2,413.7
3,142.0
UPC Holding Senior Notes
6.59
%
—
—
1,650.7
1,601.4
1,539.0
1,491.1
UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility
4.08
%
€
990.1
1,111.7
2,160.8
1,284.3
2,150.0
1,305.0
Telenet Credit Facility (f)
3.66
%
€
491.0
551.3
3,328.5
1,443.0
3,311.2
1,474.5
Telenet SPE Notes
5.76
%
—
—
1,475.4
2,155.8
1,381.0
2,097.2
Vendor financing (g) (h)
3.45
%
—
—
1,769.5
1,688.9
1,769.5
1,688.9
ITV Collar Loan
1.35
%
—
—
1,392.4
1,547.9
1,403.9
1,594.7
Sumitomo Collar Loan (i)
1.88
%
—
—
759.4
805.6
747.6
787.6
Ziggo Group Holding debt
—
(h)
(h)
(h)
7,698.8
(h)
7,861.3
Other (j)
4.95
%
—
—
750.8
395.0
649.3
291.8
Total Liberty Global Group
4.74
%
3,099.9
38,000.4
43,391.8
36,947.5
43,438.7
LiLAC Group:
CWC Notes
7.31
%
—
—
2,316.3
—
2,190.3
—
CWC Credit Facilities
4.89
%
$
364.0
364.0
1,371.8
—
1,374.4
—
VTR Finance Senior Secured Notes
6.88
%
—
—
1,463.0
1,301.1
1,400.0
1,400.0
VTR Credit Facility
—
(k)
193.5
—
—
—
—
Liberty Puerto Rico Bank Facility
5.11
%
$
40.0
40.0
924.9
913.0
942.5
942.5
Vendor financing (g)
3.94
%
—
—
35.7
—
35.7
—
Total LiLAC Group
6.28
%
597.5
6,111.7
2,214.1
5,942.9
2,342.5
Total debt before unamortized premiums, discounts and deferred financing costs
4.95
%
$
3,697.4
$
44,112.1
$
45,605.9
$
42,890.4
$
45,781.2
34
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The following table provides a reconciliation of total debt before unamortized premiums, discounts and deferred financing costs to total debt and capital lease obligations:
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
in millions
Total debt before unamortized premiums, discounts and deferred financing costs
$
42,890.4
$
45,781.2
Unamortized premiums (discounts), net
35.8
(46.7
)
Unamortized deferred financing costs
(299.9
)
(308.2
)
Total carrying amount of debt
42,626.3
45,426.3
Capital lease obligations (h) (l)
1,321.2
1,322.8
Total debt and capital lease obligations
43,947.5
46,749.1
Current maturities of debt and capital lease obligations
(2,155.4
)
(2,537.9
)
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations
$
41,792.1
$
44,211.2
_______________
(a)
Represents the weighted average interest rate in effect at
September 30, 2016
for all borrowings (excluding those of
Ziggo Group Holding
and its subsidiaries) outstanding pursuant to each debt instrument, including any applicable margin. The interest rates presented represent stated rates and do not include the impact of derivative instruments, deferred financing costs, original issue premiums or discounts and commitment fees, all of which affect our overall cost of borrowing. Including the effects of derivative instruments, original issue premiums or discounts and commitment fees, but excluding the impact of financing costs, our weighted average interest rate on our aggregate variable- and fixed-rate indebtedness was
5.0%
(including
4.8%
for the
Liberty Global Group
and
6.5%
for the
LiLAC Group
) at
September 30, 2016
. For information regarding our derivative instruments, see note
4
.
(b)
Unused borrowing capacity represents the maximum availability under the applicable facility at
September 30, 2016
without regard to covenant compliance calculations or other conditions precedent to borrowing. At
September 30, 2016
, based on the applicable leverage covenants, the full amount of unused borrowing capacity was available to be borrowed under each of the respective subsidiary facilities, and there were no restrictions on the respective subsidiary's ability to make loans or distributions from this availability to
Liberty Global
or its subsidiaries or other equity holders, except as shown in the table below. In the following table, for each facility that is subject to limitations on borrowing availability, we present (i) the actual borrowing availability under the respective facility and (ii) for each subsidiary where the ability to make loans or distributions from this availability is limited, the amount that can be loaned or distributed to
Liberty Global
or its subsidiaries or other equity holders. The amounts presented below assume no changes from
September 30, 2016
borrowing levels and are based on the applicable covenant and other limitations in effect within each borrowing group at
September 30, 2016
, both before and after considering the impact of the completion of the
September 30, 2016
compliance requirements.
Limitation on availability
September 30, 2016
Upon completion of relevant September 30, 2016 compliance reporting requirements
Borrowing currency
U.S. $ equivalent
Borrowing currency
U.S. $ equivalent
in millions
Limitation on availability to be borrowed under:
Unitymedia Revolving Credit Facilities
€
470.1
$
527.8
€
500.0
$
561.4
UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility
€
538.3
$
604.4
€
741.6
$
832.7
CWC Credit Facilities
$
220.0
$
220.0
$
220.0
$
220.0
Limitation on availability to be loaned or distributed by:
Virgin Media
£
457.5
$
593.4
£
567.6
$
736.2
Unitymedia
€
52.6
$
59.1
€
246.4
$
276.7
35
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(c)
The estimated fair values of our debt instruments are determined using the average of applicable bid and ask prices (mostly Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy) or, when quoted market prices are unavailable or not considered indicative of fair value, discounted cash flow models (mostly Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy). The discount rates used in the cash flow models are based on the market interest rates and estimated credit spreads of the applicable entity, to the extent available, and other relevant factors. For additional information regarding fair value hierarchies, see note
5
.
(d)
On March 31, 2016,
VMIH
entered into (i) a
€75.0 million
(
$84.2 million
) term loan facility, which matures on January 15, 2022, bears interest at a rate of
EURIBOR
plus
3.0%
and is subject to a
EURIBOR
floor of
0.75%
and (ii) a
€25.0 million
(
$28.1 million
) term loan facility, which matures on March 31, 2021, bears interest at a rate of
EURIBOR
plus
3.75%
and is subject to a
EURIBOR
floor of
0.0%
.
(e)
Unused borrowing capacity under the
VM Credit Facility
relates to a multi-currency revolving facility (the
VM Revolving Facility
) with maximum borrowing capacity equivalent to
£675.0 million
(
$875.5 million
).
(f)
In connection with the closing of the
BASE Acquisition
,
Telenet
borrowed (i) the full
€200.0 million
(
$224.6 million
) amount under
Telenet Facility Z
, a revolving credit facility that bears interest at
EURIBOR
plus a margin of
2.25%
, (ii) the full
€800.0 million
(
$898.3 million
) amount under
Telenet Facility AA
, a term loan facility that bears interest at
EURIBOR
plus a margin of
3.5%
, and (iii)
€217.0 million
(
$243.7 million
) under
Telenet Facility X
, a revolving credit facility that bears interest at
EURIBOR
plus a margin of
2.75%
. For information concerning the
BASE Acquisition
, see note
3
. For information regarding a refinancing transaction completed by certain subsidiaries of Telenet subsequent to September 30, 2016, see note
15
.
(g)
Represents amounts owed pursuant to interest-bearing vendor financing arrangements that are used to finance certain of our property and equipment additions and, to a lesser extent, certain of our operating expenses. These obligations are generally due within
one year
and include
VAT
that was paid on our behalf by the vendor. Repayments of vendor financing obligations are included in repayments and repurchases of debt and capital lease obligations in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
(h)
In connection with the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
, the outstanding third-party debt and capital lease obligations of the
Dutch JV Entities
have been classified as liabilities associated with assets held for sale in our
September 30, 2016
condensed consolidated balance sheet. For information regarding the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
and the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
(i)
For information regarding the partial settlement of the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
, see note
4
.
(j)
The
September 30, 2016
balance includes
$186.2 million
associated with certain derivative-related borrowing instruments and
$101.2 million
associated with the
Sumitomo Share Loan
. All of these instruments are carried at fair value. For additional information, see note
5
.
(k)
The
VTR Credit Facility
is the senior secured credit facility of
VTR
and certain of its subsidiaries and comprises a
$160.0 million
U.S. dollar facility and a CLP
22.0 billion
(
$33.5 million
) Chilean peso facility, each of which were undrawn at
September 30, 2016
.
36
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(l)
The
U.S.
dollar equivalents of our consolidated capital lease obligations are as follows:
September 30, 2016
December 31, 2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
Unitymedia
$
706.3
$
703.1
Telenet
393.6
371.1
Virgin Media
110.7
159.5
Other subsidiaries
90.1
88.2
Total Liberty Global Group
1,300.7
1,321.9
LiLAC Group:
CWC
19.6
—
Liberty Puerto Rico
0.2
0.6
VTR
0.7
0.3
Total LiLAC Group
20.5
0.9
Total capital lease obligations
$
1,321.2
$
1,322.8
Refinancing Transactions - General Information
We have completed various refinancing transactions during the first
nine
months of
2016
, as further described below. Unless otherwise noted, the terms and conditions of the notes and credit facilities entered into are largely consistent with those of our existing notes and credit facilities with regard to covenants, events of default and change of control provisions, among other items. For information concerning the general terms and conditions of our debt, see note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Virgin Media
Refinancing Transaction
In April 2016, Virgin Media Secured Finance PLC (
Virgin Media Secured Finance
), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Virgin Media
, issued
$750.0 million
principal amount of
5.5%
senior secured notes due August 15, 2026 (the
August 2026 VM Senior Secured Notes
). The net proceeds from the
August 2026 VM Senior Secured Notes
were used to repay in full the outstanding amount under the
VM Revolving Facility
and for general corporate purposes.
Subject to the circumstances described below, the
August 2026 VM Senior Secured Notes
are non-callable until August 15, 2021. At any time prior to August 15, 2021,
Virgin Media Secured Finance
may redeem some or all of the
August 2026 VM Senior Secured Notes
by paying a “make-whole” premium, which is the present value of all remaining scheduled interest payments to August 15, 2021 using the discount rate (as specified in the indenture) as of the redemption date plus
50 basis points
.
Virgin Media Secured Finance
may redeem some or all of the
August 2026 VM Senior Secured Notes
at the following redemption prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional amounts (as specified in the indenture), if any, to the applicable redemption date, as set forth below:
Redemption price
12-month period commencing August 15:
2021
102.750%
2022
101.375%
2023
100.688%
2024 and thereafter
100.000%
37
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Unitymedia
Refinancing Transaction
In December 2015, Unitymedia Hessen and Unitymedia NRW GmbH, each a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Unitymedia
, issued
€420.0 million
(
$471.6 million
) of
4.625%
senior secured notes due February 15, 2026 (the
2026 UM Senior Secured Notes
). A portion of the net proceeds from the
2026 UM Senior Secured Notes
, which were held in escrow at December 31, 2015 as cash collateral, were used in January 2016 to redeem
10%
of the principal amount of each of the following series of notes: (i) the
€585.0 million
(
$656.9 million
) outstanding principal amount of
5.5%
senior secured notes due September 15, 2022 and (ii) the
€450.0 million
(
$505.3 million
) outstanding principal amount of
5.125%
senior secured notes due January 21, 2023, each at a redemption price equal to
103%
of the applicable redeemed principal amount in accordance with the indentures governing each of the notes. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a loss on debt modification and extinguishment, net, of
$4.3 million
. This loss includes (a) the payment of
$3.4 million
of redemption premium and (b) the write-off of
$0.9 million
of deferred financing costs.
UPC Broadband Holding
Refinancing Transaction
In August 2016,
UPC Broadband Holding
entered into a new
$2,150.0 million
term loan facility (
UPC Facility AN
).
UPC Facility AN
was issued at
99.5%
of par, matures on August 31, 2024, bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus
3.0%
and is subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.0%
. In a non-cash refinancing transaction, the net proceeds from
UPC Facility AN
were used to prepay (i) in full the
$1,305.0 million
outstanding principal amount under
UPC Facility AH
, (ii) in full the
$675.0 million
outstanding principal amount under
UPC Facility AC
, together with accrued and unpaid interest and the related prepayment premium, to UPCB Finance V Limited (
UPCB Finance V
) and, in turn,
UPCB Finance V
used such proceeds to fully redeem the
$675.0 million
principal amount of its
7.250%
senior secured notes and (iii)
10%
of the
$750.0 million
original principal amount under
UPC Facility AD
, together with accrued and unpaid interest and the related prepayment premium, to UPCB Finance VI Limited (
UPCB Finance VI
) and, in turn,
UPCB Finance VI
used
such proceeds to redeem
10%
of its
$750.0 million
original principal amount of
6.875%
senior secured notes due January 15, 2022 (the
UPCB Finance VI Notes
). The redemption price for the
UPCB Finance VI Notes
was
103%
of the applicable redeemed principal amount. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a loss on debt modification and extinguishment, net, of
$48.8 million
. This loss includes (a) the payment of
$34.2 million
of redemption premium, (b) the write-off of
$11.0 million
of deferred financing costs and (c) the write-off of unamortized discount of
$3.6 million
.
Telenet
Refinancing Transaction
In May 2016, Telenet Financing USD LLC (
Telenet Finance
), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Telenet
, entered into a new
$850.0 million
term loan facility (
Telenet Facility AD
).
Telenet Facility AD
was issued at
99.5%
of par, matures on June 30, 2024, bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus
3.50%
and is subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.75%
. The net proceeds from
Telenet Facility AD
were used to repay in full (i) the
€400.0 million
(
$449.1 million
) outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility P
, together with accrued and unpaid interest and the related prepayment premium, to Telenet Finance IV Luxembourg S.C.A. (
Telenet Finance IV
) and, in turn,
Telenet Finance IV
used such proceeds to fully redeem the
€400.0 million
(
$449.1 million
) principal amount of its senior secured floating rate notes and (ii) the
€300.0 million
(
$336.9 million
) outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility O
, together with accrued and unpaid interest and the related prepayment premium, to Telenet Finance III Luxembourg S.C.A. (
Telenet Finance III
) and, in turn,
Telenet Finance III
used such proceeds to fully redeem the
€300.0 million
(
$336.9 million
) principal amount of its
6.625%
senior secured notes. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a loss on debt modification and extinguishment, net, of
$18.9 million
. This loss includes (a) the payment of
$11.1 million
of redemption premium and (b) the write-off of
$7.8 million
of deferred financing costs.
For information regarding a refinancing transaction completed by certain subsidiaries of Telenet subsequent to September 30, 2016, see note
15
.
Ziggo Group Holding
Financing Transactions
In connection with the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
, the outstanding third-party debt and capital lease obligations of
Ziggo Group Holding
and certain of its subsidiaries have been classified as liabilities associated with assets held for sale in our
September 30, 2016
condensed consolidated balance sheet. For information regarding the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
and the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
In August 2016, (i) Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. (
Ziggo Secured Finance
), a special purpose financing entity owned
100%
by a third-party, entered into a
€2,598.2 million
(
$2,917.4 million
) term loan facility (
Ziggo Facility C
) and (ii) Ziggo Secured Finance
38
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Partnership (
Ziggo Secured Partnership
), a subsidiary of
Ziggo Secured Finance
, entered into a
$1,000.0 million
term loan facility (
Ziggo Facility D
).
Ziggo Facility C
and
Ziggo Facility D
were each issued at
99.5%
of par and mature on August 31, 2024.
Ziggo Facility C
bears interest at a rate of
EURIBOR
plus
3.75%
and is subject to a
EURIBOR
floor of
0.0%
.
Ziggo Facility D
bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus
3.00%
and is subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.0%
. The net proceeds from
Ziggo Facility C
were used, in conjunction with existing cash, to prepay in full (a) the
€664.2 million
(
$745.8 million
) outstanding principal amount under an existing
Ziggo Group Holding
credit facility that was due on March 31, 2021 and (b) the
€1,925.0 million
(
$2,161.5 million
) outstanding principal amount under the
Ziggo Euro Facility
, and the net proceeds from
Ziggo Facility D
were used, in conjunction with existing cash, to prepay
$1,000.0 million
of the
$2,350.0 million
outstanding principal amount under the
Ziggo Dollar Facility
, which bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus
2.75%
and matures on January 15, 2022. Except as noted above, these transactions were completed as non-cash refinancings. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a loss on debt modification and extinguishment, net, of
$16.0 million
. This loss includes (1) the write-off of unamortized discount of
$12.8 million
and (2) the write-off of
$3.2 million
of deferred financing costs.
In September 2016, (i)
Ziggo Secured Finance
issued (a)
$2,000.0 million
principal amount of
5.50%
senior secured notes (the
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
) and (b)
€775.0 million
(
$870.2 million
) of
4.25%
senior secured notes (the
Ziggo 2027 Euro Senior Secured Notes
and, together with the
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
, the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
), each due January 15, 2027, and (ii) Ziggo Bond Finance B.V. (
Ziggo Bond Finance
), a special purpose finance entity owned
100%
by a third party, issued
$625.0 million
principal amount of
6.00%
senior notes due January 15, 2027 (the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
).
Ziggo Secured Finance
used
$300.0 million
of the net proceeds from the
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
(the
Funded Amount
) to fund a senior secured proceeds loan (the
Ziggo Dollar Senior Secured Proceeds Loans
) under a term loan facility agreement. The
Ziggo Dollar Senior Secured Proceeds Loans
were used to prepay
$300.0 million
of the principal amount outstanding under the
Ziggo Dollar Facility
.
Pending the formation of the
Dutch JV
, the remaining net proceeds from the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
were placed into certain escrow accounts (the
Escrowed Proceeds
). Upon consummation of the
Dutch JV
, the
Escrowed Proceeds
will be used, subject to certain conditions, to fund senior and senior secured proceeds loans under term loan facility agreements to one or more subsidiaries of
Ziggo Group Holding
or
Vodafone
, in each case, for the purpose of funding a loan, dividend, distribution or other payment to
Ziggo Group Holding
(which upon consummation of the
Dutch JV
will become the ultimate parent company of the
Dutch JV
), and ultimately to
Liberty Global
and
Vodafone
, and paying related fees and expenses. If the
Dutch JV
is not consummated on or before September 23, 2017 (the
Longstop Date
), the
Escrowed Proceeds
will be used to fund certain senior and senior secured proceeds loans under term loan facility agreements to one or more subsidiaries of
Ziggo Group Holding
for the purpose of refinancing indebtedness of
Ziggo Group Holding
or for general corporate purposes. If the
Dutch JV
is not consummated on or before the
Longstop Date
and all or a portion of the
Escrowed Proceeds
are released to one or more subsidiaries of
Ziggo Group Holding
for the purpose of refinancing indebtedness of
Ziggo Group Holding
or for general corporate purposes, the aggregate principal amount outstanding of the
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
will be no less than
$500.0 million
, the aggregate principal amount outstanding of the
Ziggo 2027 Euro Senior Secured Notes
will be no less than
€400.0 million
(
$449.1 million
) (together with the minimum outstanding principal amount of the
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
, the
Senior Secured Financing Amounts
) and the aggregate principal amount outstanding of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
will be no less than
$500.0 million
(the
Senior Financing Amount
).
Although
Ziggo Bond Finance
,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Secured Partnership
are each special purpose financing entities that are
100%
owned by a third party, the various financing transactions completed by
Ziggo Bond Finance
,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Secured Partnership
create variable interests for which
Ziggo Group Holding
and its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiary. As such,
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Liberty Global
are required to consolidate
Ziggo Bond Finance
,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Secured Partnership
.
In the event that the
Dutch JV
is not or will not be consummated on or before the
Longstop Date
, or upon the occurrence of certain other events that would result in the termination of the escrow accounts (the
Escrow Termination Date
),
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Bond Finance
will redeem all of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
, as applicable, other than (i) the
Funded Amount
, (ii) the
Senior Secured Financing Amounts
and (iii) the
Senior Financing Amount
at a redemption price equal to
100%
of the principal amount of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
redeemed, respectively, plus accrued but unpaid interest and additional amounts, if any, to the date of the redemption (the
Special Mandatory Redemption
).
39
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
At any time on or prior to the earlier of the date of the release of the
Escrowed Proceeds
and the
Escrow Termination Date
,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Bond Finance
may, at their option, elect to redeem all or a portion of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
, as applicable, other than the
Funded Amount
at a redemption price equal to
100%
of the principal amount of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
redeemed, respectively, plus accrued but unpaid interest and additional amounts, if any, to the date of the redemption (the
Special Optional Redemption
).
Subject to the
Special Mandatory Redemption
, the
Special Optional Redemption
and certain other circumstances (as specified in the indenture), the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
are non-callable until January 15, 2022. At any time prior to January 15, 2022,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Bond Finance
may redeem some or all of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
, as applicable, by paying a “make-whole” premium, which is the present value of all remaining scheduled interest payments to January 15, 2022 using the discount rate (as specified in the indenture) as of the redemption date plus
50 basis points
.
On or after January 15, 2022,
Ziggo Secured Finance
and
Ziggo Bond Finance
may redeem all, or from time to time a part, of the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Secured Notes
and the
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
, as applicable, at the following redemption prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional amounts (as specified in the indenture), if any, to the applicable redemption date, as set forth below:
Redemption price
Ziggo 2027 Dollar Senior Secured Notes
Ziggo 2027 Euro Senior Secured Notes
Ziggo 2027 Senior Notes
12-month period commencing January 15:
2022
102.750%
102.125%
103.000%
2023
101.833%
101.417%
102.000%
2024
100.917%
100.708%
101.000%
2025 and thereafter
100.000%
100.000%
100.000%
CWC Notes
The details of the outstanding notes of
CWC
as of
September 30, 2016
are summarized in the following table:
Outstanding principal
amount
CWC Notes
Maturity
Interest
rate
Borrowing
currency
U.S. $ equivalent
Estimated
fair value
Carrying
value (a)
in millions
Columbus Senior Notes (b)
March 30, 2021
7.375%
$
1,250.0
$
1,250.0
$
1,326.5
$
1,326.9
Sable Senior Notes (c)
August 1, 2022
6.875%
$
750.0
750.0
780.0
771.9
CWC Senior Notes (d)
March 25, 2019
8.625%
£
146.7
190.3
209.8
204.8
Total
$
2,190.3
$
2,316.3
$
2,303.6
_______________
(a)
Amounts include the impact of premiums recorded in connection with the acquisition accounting for the
CWC Acquisition
.
(b)
The
Columbus Senior Notes
were issued by Columbus International Inc. (
Columbus
), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
CWC
.
(c)
The
Sable Senior Notes
were issued by
Sable
.
(d)
The
CWC Senior Notes
, which are non-callable, were issued by Cable & Wireless International Finance B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of
CWC
.
40
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The
CWC Notes
contain certain covenants, events of default and change of control provisions, in addition to other terms and conditions, that are broadly consistent with the general terms and conditions of other
Liberty Global
notes. For information concerning the general terms and conditions of our notes, see note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Subject to the circumstances described below, the
Columbus Senior Notes
are non-callable until March 30, 2018 and the
Sable Senior Notes
are non-callable until August 1, 2018. At any time prior to March 30, 2018, in the case of the
Columbus Senior Notes
and August 1, 2018, in the case of the
Sable Senior Notes
,
Columbus
and
Sable
may redeem some or all of the applicable notes by paying a “make-whole” premium, which is generally based on the present value of all scheduled interest payments until March 30, 2018 or August 1, 2018 (as applicable) using the discount rate (as specified in the applicable indenture) as of the redemption date, plus
50 basis points
, and in the case of the
Sable Senior Notes
is subject to a minimum
1%
of the principal amount outstanding at any redemption date prior to August 1, 2018.
Columbus
and
Sable
(as applicable) may redeem some or all of the
Columbus Senior Notes
and
Sable Senior Notes
, respectively, at the following redemption prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional amounts (as specified in the applicable indenture), if any, to the redemption date, as set forth below:
Redemption price
Columbus Senior Notes
Sable Senior Notes
12-month period commencing
March 30
August 1
2018
103.688%
105.156%
2019
101.844%
103.438%
2020
100.000%
101.719%
2021 and thereafter
N.A.
100.000%
CWC Credit Facilities
The
CWC Credit Facilities
are the senior secured credit facilities of certain subsidiaries of
CWC
. The details of our borrowings under the
CWC Credit Facilities
as of
September 30, 2016
are summarized in the following table:
CWC Credit Facility
Maturity
Interest rate
Facility amount
(in borrowing
currency)
Unused
borrowing
capacity
Carrying
value (a)
in millions
CWC Term Loans
December 31, 2022
LIBOR + 4.75% (b)
$
800.0
$
—
$
784.7
CWC Revolving Credit Facility
July 31, 2021
LIBOR + 3.50% (c)
$
570.0
282.0
288.0
CWC Regional Facilities (d)
various dates ranging from 2016 to 2038
3.33% (e)
$
368.4
82.0
286.4
Total
$
364.0
$
1,359.1
_______________
(a)
Amounts include the impact of discounts and deferred financing costs, where applicable.
(b)
The
CWC Term Loans
are subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.75%
.
(c)
The
CWC Revolving Credit Facility
has a fee on unused commitments of
0.5%
per year.
(d)
Represents certain amounts borrowed by
CWC Panama
,
CWC BTC
and
CWC Jamaica
.
41
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(e)
Represents a blended weighted average rate for all
CWC Regional Facilities
.
On May 17, 2016,
Sable
and Coral-US Co-Borrower LLC (
Coral-US
), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
CWC
, acceded as borrowers and assumed obligations under the credit agreement dated May 16, 2016, pursuant to which (i)
Coral-US
entered into the
CWC Term Loans
and (ii)
Sable
and
Coral-US
entered into the
CWC Revolving Credit Facility
.
A portion of the proceeds from the
CWC Term Loans
and amounts drawn under the
CWC Revolving Credit Facility
were used to (i) repay amounts outstanding under the then existing revolving credit facility and (ii) redeem certain senior secured notes issued by
Sable
. In connection with these transactions, we recognized a gain on debt modification and extinguishment, net, of
$1.5 million
. This gain includes (a) the write-off of
$19.0 million
of unamortized premium and (b) the payment of
$17.5 million
of redemption premium.
The
CWC Credit Facilities
contain certain covenants, events of default and change of control provisions, in addition to other terms and conditions, that are largely consistent with the general terms and conditions of other
Liberty Global
credit facilities. For information concerning the general terms of our credit facilities, see note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Maturities of Debt and Capital Lease Obligations
Maturities of our debt and capital lease obligations as of
September 30, 2016
are presented below (
U.S.
dollar equivalents based on
September 30, 2016
exchange rates) for the named entity and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise noted. As a result of the held-for-sale presentation of the debt and capital lease obligations of the
Dutch JV Entities
in our September 30, 2016 condensed consolidated balance sheet, the amounts presented below do not include maturities of the debt and capital lease obligations of these entities. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
Debt:
Liberty Global Group
Virgin Media
Unitymedia
UPC
Holding (a)
Telenet (b)
Other
Total Liberty Global Group
in millions
Year ending December 31:
2016 (remainder of year)
$
80.8
$
45.3
$
173.3
$
47.6
$
14.8
$
361.8
2017
767.4
145.4
547.2
18.9
376.8
1,855.7
2018
0.8
2.3
—
8.3
1,168.7
1,180.1
2019
0.8
2.4
—
19.0
316.1
338.3
2020
0.8
2.5
—
12.6
27.6
43.5
2021
3,475.9
2.5
—
11.1
475.0
3,964.5
Thereafter
10,462.0
7,882.2
6,102.8
4,736.9
27.4
29,211.3
Total debt maturities
14,788.5
8,082.6
6,823.3
4,854.4
2,406.4
36,955.2
Unamortized premiums (discounts), net
12.7
—
(13.6
)
(6.6
)
(45.7
)
(53.2
)
Unamortized deferred financing costs
(114.6
)
(54.0
)
(34.5
)
(54.5
)
(1.1
)
(258.7
)
Total debt
$
14,686.6
$
8,028.6
$
6,775.2
$
4,793.3
$
2,359.6
$
36,643.3
Current portion
$
852.6
$
194.3
$
720.6
$
58.2
$
32.9
$
1,858.6
Noncurrent portion
$
13,834.0
$
7,834.3
$
6,054.6
$
4,735.1
$
2,326.7
$
34,784.7
42
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Group
Total Liberty Global Group
CWC
VTR
Liberty Puerto Rico
Total LiLAC Group
Total Liberty Global
in millions
Year ending December 31:
2016 (remainder of year)
$
361.8
$
58.3
$
—
$
—
$
58.3
$
420.1
2017
1,855.7
83.3
35.7
—
119.0
1,974.7
2018
1,180.1
40.2
—
—
40.2
1,220.3
2019
338.3
226.2
—
—
226.2
564.5
2020
43.5
28.4
—
—
28.4
71.9
2021
3,964.5
1,561.0
—
—
1,561.0
5,525.5
Thereafter
29,211.3
1,567.3
1,400.0
942.5
3,909.8
33,121.1
Total debt maturities
36,955.2
3,564.7
1,435.7
942.5
5,942.9
42,898.1
Unamortized premiums (discounts), net
(53.2
)
96.7
—
(7.7
)
89.0
35.8
Unamortized deferred financing costs
(258.7
)
(7.5
)
(25.6
)
(8.1
)
(41.2
)
(299.9
)
Total debt
$
36,643.3
$
3,653.9
$
1,410.1
$
926.7
$
5,990.7
$
42,634.0
Current portion
$
1,858.6
$
116.6
$
35.7
$
—
$
152.3
$
2,010.9
Noncurrent portion
$
34,784.7
$
3,537.3
$
1,374.4
$
926.7
$
5,838.4
$
40,623.1
_______________
(a)
Amounts include certain senior and senior secured notes issued by special purpose financing entities that are consolidated by
UPC Holding
and
Liberty Global
.
(b)
Amounts include certain senior and senior secured notes issued by special purpose financing entities that are consolidated by
Telenet
and
Liberty Global
.
43
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Capital lease obligations:
Liberty Global Group
Unitymedia
Telenet
Virgin Media
Other
Total Liberty Global Group
Total LiLAC Group
Total
in millions
Year ending December 31:
2016 (remainder of year)
$
20.6
$
19.6
$
17.6
$
6.7
$
64.5
$
2.1
$
66.6
2017
82.3
66.1
39.0
23.5
210.9
6.5
217.4
2018
82.3
65.0
15.8
17.5
180.6
9.4
190.0
2019
82.4
55.0
7.5
12.6
157.5
1.8
159.3
2020
82.3
52.0
4.4
7.6
146.3
1.2
147.5
2021
82.3
50.1
3.7
6.8
142.9
0.1
143.0
Thereafter
731.5
215.4
177.6
39.8
1,164.3
—
1,164.3
Total principal and interest payments
1,163.7
523.2
265.6
114.5
2,067.0
21.1
2,088.1
Amounts representing interest
(457.4
)
(129.6
)
(154.9
)
(24.4
)
(766.3
)
(0.6
)
(766.9
)
Present value of net minimum lease payments
$
706.3
$
393.6
$
110.7
$
90.1
$
1,300.7
$
20.5
$
1,321.2
Current portion
$
28.9
$
44.7
$
44.6
$
19.9
$
138.1
$
6.4
$
144.5
Noncurrent portion
$
677.4
$
348.9
$
66.1
$
70.2
$
1,162.6
$
14.1
$
1,176.7
Non-cash Financing Transactions
During the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
and
2015
, certain of our refinancing transactions included non-cash borrowings and repayments of debt aggregating
$6,131.6 million
and
$3,586.5 million
, respectively. In addition, we also completed certain non-cash financing transactions at
Ziggo Group Holding
, as discussed above.
44
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
8
)
Income Taxes
Income tax benefit (expense) attributable to our earnings (loss)
before income taxes differs from the amounts computed using the applicable income tax rate as a result of the following factors:
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Computed “expected” tax benefit (expense) (a)
$
19.1
$
(27.6
)
$
70.4
$
148.3
Change in valuation allowances (b):
Decrease
(21.5
)
(33.5
)
(256.6
)
(419.8
)
Increase
1.7
(4.0
)
15.6
39.8
Non-deductible or non-taxable foreign currency exchange results (b):
Increase
32.3
29.3
154.4
31.5
Decrease
(2.6
)
15.7
(4.9
)
(14.2
)
Enacted tax law and rate change (a)
(135.4
)
(1.5
)
(140.6
)
(0.4
)
Tax effect of intercompany financing
40.6
39.1
125.7
115.8
Non-deductible or non-taxable interest and other expenses (b):
Decrease
(82.7
)
(20.1
)
(127.9
)
(69.1
)
Increase
12.5
10.4
34.4
33.7
Basis and other differences in the treatment of items associated with investments in subsidiaries and affiliates (b):
Decrease
(18.8
)
(61.1
)
(117.2
)
(88.8
)
Increase
18.7
(2.7
)
37.5
9.1
International rate differences (b) (c):
Increase
47.8
29.4
124.8
154.7
Decrease
(22.2
)
(4.7
)
(45.2
)
(39.2
)
Recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits
14.5
20.2
32.4
33.8
Other, net
(13.5
)
13.6
(19.4
)
15.2
Total income tax benefit (expense)
$
(109.5
)
$
2.5
$
(116.6
)
$
(49.6
)
_______________
(a)
The statutory or “expected” tax rate is the
U.K.
rate of
20.0%
. During 2015, the
U.K.
enacted legislation that will change the corporate income tax rate from the current rate of
20.0%
to
19.0%
in April 2017 and
18.0%
in April 2020. Substantially all of the impact of these rate changes on our deferred tax balances was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2015 when the change in law was enacted. During the third quarter of 2016, the
U.K.
enacted legislation that will further reduce the corporate income tax rate in April 2020 from
18.0%
to
17.0%
. The impact of this rate change on our deferred tax balances was recorded this quarter.
(b)
Country jurisdictions giving rise to increases within the
nine-month period
are grouped together and shown separately from country jurisdictions giving rise to decreases within the
nine-month period
.
(c)
Amounts reflect adjustments (either an increase or a decrease) to “expected” tax benefit (expense) for statutory rates in jurisdictions in which we operate outside of the
U.K.
At
September 30, 2016
, our unrecognized tax benefits of
$689.0 million
included
$372.4 million
of tax benefits that would have a favorable impact on our effective income tax rate if ultimately recognized, after considering amounts that we would expect to be offset by valuation allowances and other factors.
45
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
We are currently undergoing income tax audits in Austria, Chile, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, the
U.S.
and certain other jurisdictions within the Caribbean and Latin America. Except as noted below, any adjustments that might arise from the foregoing examinations are not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations. In the
U.S.
, we have received notices of adjustment from the Internal Revenue Service with respect to our 2010 and 2009 income tax returns, as well as a proposed adjustment to our 2013 withholding tax return. We have entered into the appeals process with respect to the 2013, 2010 and 2009 matters. In Chile, we recorded an income tax receivable in connection with the expected utilization of certain net operating loss carryforwards upon the completion of a merger transaction of two indirect subsidiaries of Liberty Global. We are engaged in an ongoing examination by tax authorities in Chile in connection with this receivable and were notified during the third quarter of 2016 that approximately
48%
of our claim has been agreed by the tax authorities. We intend to pursue the payment of the remaining portion of this receivable through available methods. While we believe that the ultimate resolution of these proposed adjustments and resolution processes will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows, no assurance can be given that this will be the case given the amounts involved and the complex nature of the related issues. During the next 12 months, it is reasonably possible that the resolution of ongoing examinations by tax authorities as well as expiration of statutes of limitation could result in significant reductions to our unrecognized tax benefits related to tax positions taken as of
September 30, 2016
. The amount of any such reductions could range up to
$200 million
. Other than the potential impacts of these ongoing examinations and the expected expiration of certain statutes of limitation, we do not expect any material changes to our unrecognized tax benefits during the next 12 months. No assurance can be given as to the nature or impact of any changes in our unrecognized tax positions during the next 12 months.
(
9
)
Equity
Liberty Global Shareholders
A summary of the changes in our share capital during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
is set forth in the table below:
Liberty Global Shares
LiLAC Shares
Class A
Class B
Class C
Total
Class A
Class B
Class C
Total
in millions
Balance at January 1, 2016
$
2.5
$
0.1
$
5.9
$
8.5
$
0.1
$
—
$
0.3
$
0.4
Impact of the CWC Acquisition (note 3)
0.3
—
0.8
1.1
—
—
0.1
0.1
Repurchase and cancellation of Liberty Global ordinary shares
(0.2
)
—
(0.3
)
(0.5
)
—
—
—
—
Liberty Global call option contracts
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
—
—
—
—
0.4
—
0.8
1.2
Balance at September 30, 2016
$
2.6
$
0.1
$
6.4
$
9.1
$
0.5
$
—
$
1.2
$
1.7
Share Repurchases
During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
, we purchased a total of
25,686,822
Class A
Liberty Global Shares
at a weighted average price of
$32.36
and
23,700,789
Class C
Liberty Global Shares
at a weighted average price of
$33.09
for an aggregate purchase price of
$1,615.6 million
, including direct acquisition costs and the effects of derivative instruments. At
September 30, 2016
, the remaining amount authorized for share repurchases was
$2,393.3 million
.
46
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
10
)
Share-based Compensation
Our share-based compensation expense primarily relates to the share-based incentive awards issued by
Liberty Global
to its employees and employees of its subsidiaries. A summary of the aggregate share-based compensation expense that is included in our operating and SG&A expenses is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global:
Performance-based incentive awards (a)
$
28.5
$
55.4
$
105.7
$
126.0
Other share-based incentive awards
28.6
66.1
86.8
116.6
Total Liberty Global (b)
57.1
121.5
192.5
242.6
Telenet share-based incentive awards
3.6
2.1
8.2
7.7
Other
2.1
1.4
5.7
2.7
Total
$
62.8
$
125.0
$
206.4
$
253.0
Included in:
Operating expense:
Liberty Global Group
$
0.8
$
0.9
$
2.4
$
2.7
LiLAC Group
0.4
0.2
0.9
0.5
Total operating expense
1.2
1.1
3.3
3.2
SG&A expense:
Liberty Global Group
56.3
122.4
193.3
248.1
LiLAC Group
5.3
1.5
9.8
1.7
Total SG&A expense
61.6
123.9
203.1
249.8
Total
$
62.8
$
125.0
$
206.4
$
253.0
_______________
(a)
Includes share-based compensation expense related to (i) performance-based restricted share units (
PSU
s
), including amounts resulting from the
2016 PSUs
, as described and defined below, (ii) for the nine-month period, a challenge performance award plan for certain executive officers and key employees (the
Challenge Performance Awards
) and (iii) the May 2014 grant of performance grant units (
PGUs
) to our Chief Executive Officer. The
Challenge Performance Awards
include performance-based share appreciation rights (
PSAR
s
) and
PSU
s.
(b)
In connection with the
LiLAC Transaction
, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved modifications to our outstanding share-based incentive awards (the
2015 Award Modifications
) in accordance with the underlying share-based incentive plans. As a result of the
2015 Award Modifications
, the Black-Scholes fair values of our options, share appreciation rights (
SARs
) and
PSAR
s increased, resulting in incremental share-based compensation expense of
$99.3 million
, of which
$63.5 million
was recognized during the third quarter of 2015 related to awards that vested on or prior to September 30, 2015.
47
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The following table provides certain information related to share-based compensation not yet recognized for share-based incentive awards related to
Liberty Global
ordinary shares as of
September 30, 2016
:
Non-performance-based awards (a)
Performance-
based awards (a) (b)
Total compensation expense not yet recognized (in millions)
$
234.6
$
191.4
Weighted average period remaining for expense recognition (in years)
2.8
2.5
_______________
(a)
Amounts relate to awards granted or assumed by
Liberty Global
under (i) the Liberty Global 2014 Incentive Plan (as amended and restated effective February 24, 2015), (ii) the
Liberty Global 2014 Nonemployee Director Incentive Plan, (iii)
the Liberty Global, Inc. 2005 Incentive Plan
(as amended and restated effective
June 7, 2013
), (iv)
the Liberty Global, Inc. 2005 Nonemployee Director Incentive Plan
(as amended and restated effective
June 7, 2013
) and (v) certain other incentive plans of
Virgin Media
, including
Virgin Media
’s 2010 stock incentive plan. All new awards are granted under the Liberty Global 2014 Incentive Plan or the Liberty Global 2014 Nonemployee Director Incentive Plan.
(b)
Amounts relate to (i)
PSU
s, including
$171.2 million
related to the
2016 PSUs
, and (ii) the
PGUs
.
The following table summarizes certain information related to the incentive awards granted and exercised with respect to
Liberty Global
ordinary shares:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Assumptions used to estimate fair value of options and SARs granted:
Risk-free interest rate
0.88 - 1.46%
0.96 - 1.89%
Expected life
3.2 - 5.5 years
3.0 - 5.5 years
Expected volatility
27.4 - 37.4%
23.1 - 30.1%
Expected dividend yield
none
none
Weighted average grant-date fair value per share of awards granted:
Options
$
10.31
$
14.73
SARs
$
8.60
$
10.77
Restricted share units (
RSUs
)
$
36.83
$
51.85
PSUs
$
34.03
$
51.57
Total intrinsic value of awards exercised (in millions):
Options
$
15.1
$
105.8
SARs
$
38.6
$
47.0
PSARs
$
0.6
$
0.2
Cash received from exercise of options (in millions)
$
16.1
$
39.9
Income tax benefit related to share-based compensation (in millions)
$
39.4
$
55.0
48
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
2016 PSUs
In February 2016, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved the grant of
PSU
s to executive officers and key employees (the
2016 PSUs
) pursuant to a performance plan that is based on the achievement of a specified Adjusted OIBDA CAGR during the
three
-year period ended December 31, 2018. The
2016 PSUs
require delivery of a compound annual growth rate of our consolidated operating cash flow (
OCF CAGR
) of
6.0%
during the
three
-year performance period ending December 31, 2018, with over- and under-performance payout opportunities should the
OCF CAGR
exceed or fail to meet the target, as applicable. A performance range of
75%
to
167.5%
of the target
OCF CAGR
will generally result in award recipients earning
75%
to
300%
of their target
2016 PSUs
, subject to reduction or forfeiture based on individual performance. The earned
2016 PSUs
will vest
50%
each on April 1, 2019 and October 1, 2019.
LiLAC Distribution
In connection with the
LiLAC Distribution
, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved modifications to our outstanding share-based incentive awards (the
2016 Award Modification
) in accordance with the underlying share-based incentive plans. The objective of the compensation committee was to ensure a relatively unchanged intrinsic value of outstanding equity awards before and after the
LiLAC Distribution
. The mechanism to modify outstanding share-based incentive awards, as approved by the compensation committee, utilized the volume-weighted average price of the respective shares for the
five
days prior to and the
five
days following the bonus issuance. Based upon this approach, we determined the incremental value associated with the 2016 Award Modification was immaterial. As a result, we did not recognize any incremental share-based compensation expense associated with the
2016 Award Modification
. The tables set forth below present the impact resulting from this transaction.
Share-based Award Activity
—
Liberty Global Ordinary Shares
The following tables summarize the share-based award activity during
2016
with respect to awards issued by
Liberty Global
:
Liberty Global Shares
Options — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
exercise price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
873,333
$
22.85
Granted
79,899
$
36.06
Forfeited
(9,328
)
$
34.59
Exercised
(207,034
)
$
20.99
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
736,870
$
24.66
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
39,000
$
(3.49
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
775,870
$
21.17
Forfeited
(2,665
)
$
17.34
Exercised
(27,323
)
$
19.37
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
745,882
$
21.25
4.3
$
10.2
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
528,299
$
17.81
3.5
$
8.9
49
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Liberty Global Shares
—
continued:
Options — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
exercise price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
2,738,536
$
23.98
Granted
159,798
$
35.15
Forfeited
(51,787
)
$
35.07
Exercised
(541,147
)
$
19.40
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
2,305,400
$
25.58
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
166,139
$
(3.43
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
2,471,539
$
22.15
Forfeited
(31,424
)
$
28.98
Exercised
(78,001
)
$
17.86
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
2,362,114
$
22.20
5.1
$
26.6
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
1,362,367
$
16.43
3.4
$
23.0
SARs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
7,693,152
$
34.89
Granted
2,641,914
$
37.73
Forfeited
(123,302
)
$
43.48
Exercised
(336,732
)
$
11.64
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
9,875,032
$
36.34
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
616,160
$
(4.62
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
10,491,192
$
31.72
Granted
87,750
$
32.04
Forfeited
(87,183
)
$
38.02
Exercised
(82,765
)
$
20.00
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
10,408,994
$
31.76
4.7
$
45.2
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
4,629,580
$
27.23
3.3
$
38.5
50
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Liberty Global Shares
—
continued:
SARs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
18,685,347
$
31.70
Granted
5,283,828
$
36.60
Forfeited
(256,622
)
$
41.60
Exercised
(995,103
)
$
11.66
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
22,717,450
$
33.61
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
1,412,585
$
(4.42
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
24,130,035
$
29.19
Granted
175,500
$
31.00
Forfeited
(179,988
)
$
36.37
Exercised
(272,380
)
$
18.94
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
23,853,167
$
29.27
4.4
$
128.6
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
12,022,123
$
24.67
3.1
$
112.9
PSARs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
2,889,457
$
31.93
Forfeited
(657
)
$
31.87
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
2,888,800
$
31.93
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
16,559
$
(4.17
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
2,905,359
$
27.76
Exercised
(23,631
)
$
27.71
Outstanding at September 30, 2016 (a)
2,881,728
$
27.76
3.7
$
18.5
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
2,881,728
$
27.76
3.7
$
18.5
51
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Liberty Global Shares
—
continued:
PSARs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
8,629,481
$
30.52
Forfeited
(1,961
)
$
30.46
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
8,627,520
$
30.52
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
51,613
$
(4.12
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
8,679,133
$
26.40
Exercised
(85,072
)
$
26.25
Outstanding at September 30, 2016 (a)
8,594,061
$
26.40
3.7
$
57.1
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
8,594,061
$
26.40
3.7
$
57.1
RSUs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
564,976
$
44.06
Granted
268,427
$
37.72
Forfeited
(23,233
)
$
46.22
Released from restrictions
(101,374
)
$
41.30
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
708,796
$
41.98
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
101,140
$
(8.44
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
809,936
$
33.54
Granted
25,885
$
32.04
Forfeited
(18,226
)
$
32.60
Released from restrictions
(44,059
)
$
32.05
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
773,536
$
33.60
3.0
52
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Liberty Global Shares
—
continued:
RSUs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
1,194,182
$
41.64
Granted
536,854
$
36.59
Forfeited
(50,385
)
$
44.29
Released from restrictions
(236,244
)
$
38.06
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
1,444,407
$
40.26
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
215,866
$
(5.38
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
1,660,273
$
34.88
Granted
51,770
$
31.00
Forfeited
(37,535
)
$
37.56
Released from restrictions
(97,834
)
$
35.90
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
1,576,674
$
34.63
3.2
PSUs and PGUs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
1,690,200
$
42.61
Granted
2,075,660
$
34.70
Performance adjustment (b)
17,499
$
39.33
Forfeited
(16,719
)
$
45.12
Released from restrictions
(696,341
)
$
39.51
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
3,070,299
$
37.93
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
97,105
$
(4.47
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
3,167,404
$
33.46
Granted
52,110
$
32.04
Forfeited
(3,131
)
$
32.47
Released from restrictions
(7,778
)
$
29.55
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
3,208,605
$
33.45
2.3
53
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Liberty Global Shares
—
continued:
PGUs — Class B ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
666,667
$
42.43
Released from restriction
(333,333
)
$
42.43
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
333,334
$
42.43
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
—
$
(4.71
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
333,334
$
37.72
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
333,334
$
37.72
0.5
PSUs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
2,158,351
$
41.30
Granted
4,151,320
$
33.63
Performance adjustment (b)
35,000
$
38.08
Forfeited
(33,508
)
$
43.47
Released from restrictions
(837,276
)
$
35.58
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
5,473,887
$
36.32
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
204,111
$
(4.30
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
5,677,998
$
32.02
Granted
104,220
$
31.00
Forfeited
(6,375
)
$
34.01
Released from restrictions
(17,136
)
$
39.98
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
5,758,707
$
31.98
2.5
_______________
(a)
All outstanding awards became fully exercisable during 2016 as the performance criteria was achieved during the year.
(b)
Represents the increase in
PSU
s associated with the first quarter
2016
determination that
103.6%
of the
PSU
s that were granted in
2014
(the
2014 PSU
s
) had been earned. Subject to forfeitures, half of the earned
2014 PSU
s were released from restrictions on April 1, 2016 and the remainder were released on October 1, 2016.
54
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Shares
Options — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
exercise price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
21,233
$
24.29
Granted
3,995
$
37.16
Forfeited
(238
)
$
43.84
Exercised
(1,312
)
$
9.56
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
23,678
$
27.08
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
59,140
$
1.71
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
82,818
$
28.79
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
82,818
$
28.79
3.9
$
0.5
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
57,331
$
23.13
2.9
$
0.5
Options — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
exercise price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
57,742
$
22.42
Granted
7,990
$
38.67
Forfeited
(474
)
$
43.91
Exercised
(4,439
)
$
9.86
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
60,819
$
25.30
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
151,783
$
1.27
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
212,602
$
26.57
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
212,602
$
26.57
3.6
$
1.5
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
161,637
$
21.78
2.8
$
1.5
55
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Shares
—
continued:
SARs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
233,192
$
31.07
Granted
71,990
$
37.53
Forfeited
(1,963
)
$
39.57
Exercised
(6,852
)
$
7.84
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
296,367
$
33.12
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
719,933
$
2.36
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
1,016,300
$
35.48
Granted
492,894
$
34.85
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
1,509,194
$
35.27
5.2
$
1.9
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
508,688
$
29.83
3.1
$
1.9
SARs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
579,273
$
29.73
Granted
143,980
$
40.61
Forfeited
(4,173
)
$
39.81
Exercised
(19,413
)
$
8.01
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
699,667
$
32.51
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
1,709,612
$
1.53
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
2,409,279
$
34.04
Granted
985,788
$
35.24
Exercised
(2,126
)
$
21.89
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
3,392,941
$
34.40
4.9
$
6.1
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
1,366,196
$
28.32
2.9
$
6.1
56
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Shares
—
continued:
PSARs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
140,127
$
30.08
Forfeited
(33
)
$
30.02
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
140,094
$
30.08
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
346,640
$
2.38
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
486,734
$
32.46
Outstanding at September 30, 2016 (a)
486,734
$
32.46
3.7
$
—
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
486,734
$
32.46
3.7
$
—
PSARs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
base price
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
Aggregate
intrinsic value
in years
in millions
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
418,492
$
30.30
Forfeited
(99
)
$
30.23
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
418,393
$
30.30
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
1,035,238
$
2.01
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
1,453,631
$
32.31
Outstanding at September 30, 2016 (a)
1,453,631
$
32.31
3.7
$
—
Exercisable at September 30, 2016
1,453,631
$
32.31
3.7
$
—
RSUs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
1,713
$
45.12
Granted (b)
52,349
$
40.79
Released from restrictions
(301
)
$
48.09
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
53,761
$
40.89
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
3,365
$
0.01
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
57,126
$
40.90
Granted
126,902
$
34.85
Forfeited
(1,574
)
$
40.79
Released from restrictions
(9,031
)
$
40.75
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
173,423
$
36.48
3.2
57
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Shares
—
continued:
RSUs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
3,428
$
43.97
Granted (b)
128,186
$
42.79
Released from restrictions
(606
)
$
44.03
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
131,008
$
42.82
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
6,938
$
(0.18
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
137,946
$
42.64
Granted
253,838
$
35.24
Forfeited
(3,857
)
$
42.79
Released from restrictions
(22,043
)
$
42.62
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
365,884
$
37.51
3.1
PSUs and PGUs — Class A ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
86,303
$
42.56
Granted
72,848
$
35.46
Performance adjustment (c)
870
$
39.33
Forfeited
(755
)
$
46.11
Released from restrictions
(34,413
)
$
39.57
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
124,853
$
39.20
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
316,800
$
(3.51
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
441,653
$
35.69
Granted
3,116
$
34.85
Forfeited
(32
)
$
45.75
Released from restrictions
(13,698
)
$
34.98
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
431,039
$
35.71
2.0
58
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
LiLAC Shares
—
continued:
PGUs — Class B ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
33,333
$
42.43
Released from restriction
(16,666
)
$
42.43
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
16,667
$
42.43
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
41,589
$
(3.36
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016
58,256
$
39.07
0.5
PSUs — Class C ordinary shares
Number of
shares
Weighted
average
grant-date
fair value
per share
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
in years
Outstanding at January 1, 2016
111,215
$
41.36
Granted
145,696
$
37.70
Performance adjustment (c)
1,741
$
38.08
Forfeited
(1,518
)
$
44.44
Released from restrictions
(40,692
)
$
35.69
Outstanding at June 30, 2016
216,442
$
39.91
Impact of the LiLAC Distribution
563,081
$
(5.17
)
Outstanding at July 1, 2016
779,523
$
34.74
Granted
6,232
$
35.24
Forfeited
(64
)
$
42.85
Released from restrictions
(39,982
)
$
32.04
Outstanding at September 30, 2016
745,709
$
34.89
2.3
_______________
(a)
All outstanding awards became fully exercisable during 2016 as the performance criteria was achieved during the year.
(b)
Includes
52,306
of LiLAC Class A and
128,100
of LiLAC Class C share-based incentive awards granted to
CWC
employees following the
CWC Acquisition
. These awards include
8,370
LiLAC Class A and
20,506
LiLAC Class C awards that will vest on June 1, 2017 and
43,936
LiLAC Class A and
107,594
LiLAC Class C awards that will vest on June 1, 2018. The weighted average grant-date fair values for the LiLAC Class A and LiLAC Class C awards granted to
CWC
employees were
$40.79
and
$42.79
, respectively.
(c)
Represents the increase in
PSU
s associated with the first quarter
2016
determination that
103.6%
of the
2014 PSU
s had been earned. Half of the earned
2014 PSU
s were released from restrictions on April 1, 2016, and, subject to forfeitures, the remainder were released on October 1, 2016.
59
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
11
)
Restructuring Liability
A summary of the changes in our restructuring liability during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
is set forth in the table below:
Employee
severance
and
termination
Office
closures
Contract termination and other
Total
in millions
Restructuring liability as of January 1, 2016
$
68.5
$
7.3
$
70.7
$
146.5
Restructuring charges (credits)
105.5
(3.1
)
9.3
111.7
Cash paid
(72.7
)
(2.2
)
(43.6
)
(118.5
)
Reclassification to held for sale (a)
(29.6
)
(0.6
)
—
(30.2
)
CWC and BASE liabilities at acquisition date
7.6
8.3
1.5
17.4
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other
(3.0
)
(3.5
)
9.4
2.9
Restructuring liability as of September 30, 2016
$
76.3
$
6.2
$
47.3
$
129.8
Current portion
$
66.9
$
1.7
$
13.6
$
82.2
Noncurrent portion
9.4
4.5
33.7
47.6
Total
$
76.3
$
6.2
$
47.3
$
129.8
_______________
(a)
Represents restructuring liabilities associated with the
Dutch JV Entities
. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
Our restructuring charges during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
include employee severance and termination costs related to certain reorganization and integration activities of
$40.7 million
in Germany,
$20.7 million
in
U.K./Ireland
,
$15.3 million
in the
European Operations Division
’s central operations,
$10.6 million
in Chile and
$7.1 million
in the Netherlands.
We expect to continue to record significant restructuring charges over the next 12 months, due largely to our ongoing company-wide effort to optimize our operating model. In addition, we expect to undertake further restructuring programs in certain of our operating segments, including programs in connection with the integration of acquired entities.
(
12
)
Earnings or Loss per Share
Basic
EPS
is computed by dividing net earnings or loss by the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the period. Diluted
EPS
presents the dilutive effect, if any, on a per share basis of potential shares (e.g., options,
SAR
s,
PSAR
s,
RSU
s and convertible securities) as if they had been exercised, vested or converted at the beginning of the periods presented.
60
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The details of our net earnings (loss) attributable to holders of
Liberty Global Shares
,
LiLAC Shares
and
Old Liberty Global Shares
are set forth below:
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Net
earnings (loss)
attributable to holders of:
Liberty Global Shares (a)
$
(167.7
)
$
102.9
$
(294.1
)
$
102.9
LiLAC Shares (a)
(81.8
)
30.4
(223.1
)
30.4
Old Liberty Global Shares (b)
—
—
—
(1,002.2
)
Net earnings (loss)
attributable to Liberty Global shareholders
$
(249.5
)
$
133.3
$
(517.2
)
$
(868.9
)
_______________
(a)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period relates to the period from July 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015.
(b)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period relates to the period from January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015.
The details of our weighted average ordinary shares outstanding are set forth below:
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding:
Liberty Global Shares (a):
Basic
917,345,591
872,802,928
884,567,424
872,802,928
Diluted
917,345,591
885,904,765
884,567,424
885,904,765
LiLAC Shares (a):
Basic
174,075,080
43,905,783
89,764,378
43,905,783
Diluted
174,075,080
44,229,892
89,764,378
44,229,892
Old Liberty Global Shares (b):
Basic
884,040,481
Diluted
884,040,481
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2015 nine-month period relate to the period from July 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2015 nine-month period relate to the period from January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015.
Liberty Global Shares
We reported losses attributable to holders of
Liberty Global Shares
for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
. Therefore, the potentially dilutive effect at
September 30, 2016
of the following items was not included in the computation of diluted loss per share attributable to holders of
Liberty Global Shares
because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive to the computation or, in the case of certain
PSU
s and
PGUs
, because such awards had not yet met the applicable performance criteria: (i) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options,
SAR
s,
PSAR
s and
RSU
s of approximately
51.2 million
, (ii) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to
PSU
s and
PGUs
of approximately
9.3 million
and (iii) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to obligations that may be settled in cash or shares of approximately
3.2 million
.
61
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The details of the calculation of EPS with respect to Liberty Global Shares for the three months ended September 30, 2015
are set forth in the following table:
Numerator:
Net earnings attributable to holders of Liberty Global Shares (basic and diluted EPS computation) (in millions)
$
102.9
Denominator:
Weighted average ordinary shares (basic EPS computation)
872,802,928
Incremental shares attributable to the assumed exercise of outstanding options, SARs and PSARs and the release of share units upon vesting (treasury stock method)
13,101,837
Weighted average ordinary shares (diluted EPS computation)
885,904,765
A total of
9.7 million
options, SARs, PSARs and RSUs and
2.6 million
shares issuable upon conversion of
Virgin Media
’s
6.50%
convertible senior notes were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share during the three months ended September 30, 2015 because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.
LiLAC Shares
We reported losses attributable to holders of
LiLAC Shares
for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
. Therefore, the potentially dilutive effect at
September 30, 2016
of the following items was not included in the computation of diluted loss per share attributable to holders of
LiLAC Shares
because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive to the computation or, in the case of certain
PSU
s and
PGUs
, because such awards had not yet met the applicable performance criteria: (i) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options,
SAR
s,
PSAR
s and
RSU
s of approximately
7.7 million
and (ii) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to
PSU
s and
PGUs
of approximately
1.2 million
.
The details of the calculation of
EPS
with respect to LiLAC Shares for the three months ended September 30, 2015
are set forth in the following table:
Numerator:
Net earnings attributable to holders of LiLAC Shares (basic and diluted EPS computation) (in millions)
$
30.4
Denominator:
Weighted average ordinary shares (basic EPS computation)
43,905,783
Incremental shares attributable to the assumed exercise of outstanding options, SARs and PSARs and the release of share units upon vesting (treasury stock method)
324,109
Weighted average ordinary shares (diluted EPS computation)
44,229,892
A total of
0.7 million
options,
SAR
s,
PSAR
s and
RSU
s were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share during the three months ended September 30, 2015 because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.
Old Liberty Global Shares
We reported losses attributable to holders of
Old Liberty Global Shares
for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Therefore, the potentially dilutive effect at June 30, 2015 of the following items was not included in the computation of diluted loss per share attributable to holders of
Old Liberty Global Shares
because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive to the computation or, in the case of certain
PSU
s and
PGUs
, because such awards had not yet met the applicable performance criteria: (i) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to outstanding options,
SAR
s,
PSAR
s and
RSU
s of approximately
42.0 million
, (ii) the number of shares issuable pursuant to
PSU
s and
PGUs
of approximately
5.3 million
and (iii) the aggregate number of shares issuable pursuant to obligations that may be settled in cash or shares of approximately
2.6 million
.
62
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
13
)
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
In the normal course of business, we have entered into agreements that commit our company to make cash payments in future periods with respect to programming contracts, network and connectivity commitments, purchases of customer premises and other equipment and services, non-cancellable operating leases and other items. The following table sets forth the
U.S.
dollar equivalents of such commitments as of
September 30, 2016
. The commitments of
CWC
have been excluded from the table pending our verification of the amounts. These excluded commitments are not expected to be material in relation to our total commitments.
Due to the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
at September 30, 2016, the amounts presented below do not include the contractual commitments of these entities. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
.
Payments due during:
Remainder
of 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Thereafter
Total
in millions
Programming commitments
$
255.0
$
964.7
$
836.3
$
424.0
$
174.1
$
48.6
$
21.7
$
2,724.4
Network and connectivity commitments
504.1
571.7
198.4
104.6
62.5
53.6
889.2
2,384.1
Purchase commitments
647.3
347.9
185.3
108.0
88.9
14.4
64.8
1,456.6
Operating leases
35.3
119.6
101.8
82.3
63.7
52.2
242.5
697.4
Other commitments
43.0
49.7
31.3
28.5
12.2
11.6
15.4
191.7
Total (a)
$
1,484.7
$
2,053.6
$
1,353.1
$
747.4
$
401.4
$
180.4
$
1,233.6
$
7,454.2
_______________
(a)
The commitments included in this table do not reflect any liabilities that are included in our
September 30, 2016
condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Programming commitments consist of obligations associated with certain of our programming, studio output and sports rights contracts that are enforceable and legally binding on us as we have agreed to pay minimum fees without regard to (i) the actual number of subscribers to the programming services, (ii) whether we terminate service to a portion of our subscribers or dispose of a portion of our distribution systems or (iii) whether we discontinue our premium sports services. In addition, programming commitments do not include increases in future periods associated with contractual inflation or other price adjustments that are not fixed. Accordingly, the amounts reflected in the above table with respect to these contracts are significantly less than the amounts we expect to pay in these periods under these contracts. Historically, payments to programming vendors have represented a significant portion of our operating costs, and we expect that this will continue to be the case in future periods. In this regard, our total programming and copyright costs aggregated
$1,851.5 million
(including
$1,609.7 million
for the
Liberty Global Group
and
$241.8 million
for the
LiLAC Group
) and
$1,716.6 million
(including
$1,531.8 million
for the
Liberty Global Group
and
$184.8 million
for the
LiLAC Group
) during the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively.
Network and connectivity commitments include (i)
Telenet
’s commitments for certain operating costs associated with its leased network, (ii) service commitments associated with our network extension projects, primarily in the
U.K.
, (iii) commitments associated with our mobile virtual network operator (
MVNO
) agreements and (iv) certain repair and maintenance, fiber capacity and energy commitments of
Unitymedia
.
Telenet
’s commitments for certain operating costs are subject to adjustment based on changes in the network operating costs incurred by
Telenet
with respect to its own networks. These potential adjustments are not subject to reasonable estimation and, therefore, are not included in the above table. The amounts reflected in the above table with respect to certain of our
MVNO
commitments represent fixed minimum amounts payable under these agreements and, therefore, may be significantly less than the actual amounts we ultimately pay in these periods.
63
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Purchase commitments include unconditional and legally binding obligations related to (i) the purchase of customer premises and other equipment and (ii) certain service-related commitments, including call center, information technology and maintenance services.
Commitments arising from acquisition agreements are not reflected in the above table. For information regarding our commitments under acquisition agreements, see note
3
.
In addition to the commitments set forth in the table above, we have significant commitments under (i) derivative instruments and (ii) defined benefit plans and similar agreements, pursuant to which we expect to make payments in future periods. For information regarding our derivative instruments, including the net cash paid or received in connection with these instruments during the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
and
2015
, see note
4
.
We also have commitments pursuant to agreements with, and obligations imposed by, franchise authorities and municipalities, which may include obligations in certain markets to move aerial cable to underground ducts or to upgrade, rebuild or extend portions of our broadband communication systems. Such amounts are not included in the above table because they are not fixed or determinable.
Guarantees and Other Credit Enhancements
In the ordinary course of business, we may provide (i) indemnifications to our lenders, our vendors and certain other parties and (ii) performance and/or financial guarantees to local municipalities, our customers and vendors. Historically, these arrangements have not resulted in our company making any material payments and we do not believe that they will result in material payments in the future.
Legal and Regulatory Proceedings and Other Contingencies
Interkabel Acquisition.
On
November 26, 2007
,
Telenet
and
four
associations of municipalities in Belgium, which we refer to as the pure intercommunales or the “
PICs
,” announced a non-binding agreement-in-principle to transfer the analog and digital television activities of the
PICs
, including all existing subscribers to
Telenet
. Subsequently,
Telenet
and the
PICs
entered into a binding agreement (the
2008 PICs Agreement
), which closed effective
October 1, 2008
. Beginning in December
2007
, Proximus NV/SA (
Proximus
), the incumbent telecommunications operator in Belgium, instituted several proceedings seeking to block implementation of these agreements.
Proximus
lodged summary proceedings with the President of the Court of First Instance of Antwerp to obtain a provisional injunction preventing the
PICs
from effecting the agreement-in-principle and initiated a civil procedure on the merits claiming the annulment of the agreement-in-principle. In March
2008
, the President of the Court of First Instance of Antwerp ruled in favor of
Proximus
in the summary proceedings, which ruling was overturned by the Court of Appeal of Antwerp in June
2008
.
Proximus
brought this appeal judgment before the Cour de Cassation (the
Belgian Supreme Court
), which confirmed the appeal judgment in September 2010. On
April 6, 2009
, the Court of First Instance of Antwerp ruled in favor of the
PICs
and
Telenet
in the civil procedure on the merits, dismissing
Proximus
’s request for the rescission of the agreement-in-principle and the
2008 PICs Agreement
. On
June 12, 2009
,
Proximus
appealed this judgment with the Court of Appeal of Antwerp. In this appeal,
Proximus
is now also seeking compensation for damages should the
2008 PICs Agreement
not be rescinded. While these proceedings were suspended indefinitely, other proceedings were initiated, which resulted in a ruling by the Belgian Council of State in May 2014 annulling (i) the decision of the
PICs
not to organize a public market consultation and (ii) the decision from the
PICs
’ board of directors to approve the
2008 PICs Agreement
. In December 2015,
Proximus
resumed the civil proceedings pending with the Court of Appeal of Antwerp seeking to have the
2008 PICs Agreement
annulled and claiming damages of
€1.4 billion
(
$1.6 billion
).
Telenet
intends to defend itself vigorously in the resumed proceedings and does not expect an outcome before the end of 2017. No assurance can be given as to the outcome of these or other proceedings. However, an unfavorable outcome of existing or future proceedings could potentially lead to the annulment of the
2008 PICs Agreement
and/or to an obligation of
Telenet
to pay compensation for damages, subject to the relevant provisions of the
2008 PICs Agreement
, which stipulate that
Telenet
is responsible for damages in excess of
€20.0 million
(
$22.5 million
). We do not expect the ultimate resolution of this matter to have a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.
No
amounts have been accrued by us with respect to this matter as the likelihood of loss is not considered to be probable.
64
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Deutsche Telekom
Litigation.
On December 28, 2012,
Unitymedia
filed a lawsuit against Telekom Deutschland GmbH (
Deutsche Telekom
), an operating subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG, in which
Unitymedia
asserts that it pays excessive prices for the co-use of
Deutsche Telekom
’s cable ducts in
Unitymedia
’s footprint. The Federal Network Agency approved rates for the co-use of certain ducts of
Deutsche Telekom
in March 2011. Based in part on these approved rates,
Unitymedia
is seeking a reduction of the annual lease fees (approximately
€76 million
(
$85 million
) for 2012) by approximately
two-thirds
and the return of similarly calculated overpayments from 2009 through the ultimate settlement date, plus accrued interest. In October 2016, the first instance court dismissed this action. Unitymedia is evaluating whether to appeal this decision, and no assurance can be given that
Unitymedia
’s claims will be successful. Any recovery by
Unitymedia
will not be reflected in our consolidated financial statements until such time as the final disposition of this matter has been reached.
Vivendi
Litigation.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of our company was a plaintiff in certain litigation titled Liberty Media Corporation, et. al. v. Vivendi S.A. and Universal Studios. A predecessor of
Liberty Global
was a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (
Liberty Media
) through June 6, 2004. In connection with
Liberty Media
’s prosecution of the action, our subsidiary assigned its rights to
Liberty Media
in exchange for a contingent payout in the event
Liberty Media
recovered any amounts as a result of the action. In February 2016,
Vivendi
S.A. (
Vivendi
) and
Liberty Media
settled the litigation and, as a result of such settlement, our subsidiary received a cash payment of
$69.8 million
, which is included in other income (expense), net, in our condensed consolidated statement of operations and other investing activities, net, in our condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
We consider this matter to be closed.
Liberty Puerto Rico
Matter.
In November 2012, we completed a business combination that resulted in, among other matters, the combination of our then operating subsidiary in Puerto Rico with San Juan Cable, LLC dba OneLink Communications (
OneLink
). In connection with this transaction (the
OneLink Acquisition
),
Liberty Puerto Rico
, as the surviving entity, became a party to certain claims previously asserted by the incumbent telephone operator (
PRTC
) against
OneLink
based on alleged conduct of
OneLink
that occurred prior to the
OneLink Acquisition
(the
PRTC Claim
). The
PRTC Claim
includes an allegation that
OneLink
acted in an anticompetitive manner in connection with a series of legal and regulatory proceedings it initiated against
PRTC
in Puerto Rico beginning in 2009. In March 2014, a separate class action claim was filed in Puerto Rico (the
Class Action Claim
) containing allegations substantially similar to those asserted in the
PRTC Claim
, but alleging ongoing injury on behalf of a consumer class (as opposed to harm to a competitor). In July 2016, the judge presiding over the
PRTC Claim
in the United States District Court for the District of Maine (the
District Court
) granted
OneLink
summary judgment that dismissed the
PRTC Claim
in its entirety. In August 2016,
PRTC
filed a notice with the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals indicating it will appeal the
District Court
’s decision. Based on
Liberty Puerto Rico
’s assessment of the
PRTC Claim
on appeal and the
Class Action Claim
, we have determined that the possibility of loss is remote. Accordingly,
Liberty Puerto Rico
has reversed its previously-recorded provision and related indemnification asset associated with the
PRTC Claim
, resulting in a
$5.1 million
reduction to our SG&A expenses during the third quarter of 2016. Pursuant to indemnification arrangements entered into with the former owners of
OneLink
, we may recover a portion of the legal fees we incurred in connection with the
PRTC Claim
.
Belgium Regulatory Developments.
In December 2010, the Belgisch Instituut voor Post en Telecommunicatie and the regional regulators for the media sectors (together, the
Belgium Regulatory Authorities
) published their respective draft decisions reflecting the results of their joint analysis of the broadcasting market in Belgium.
The
Belgium Regulatory Authorities
adopted a final decision on July 1, 2011 (the
July 2011 Decision
) with some minor revisions. The regulatory obligations imposed by the
July 2011 Decision
include (i) an obligation to make a resale offer at “retail minus’’ of the cable analog package available to third-party operators (including
Proximus
), (ii) an obligation to grant third-party operators (except
Proximus
) access to digital television platforms (including the basic digital video package) at “retail minus” and (iii) an obligation to make a resale offer at “retail minus’’ of broadband internet access available to beneficiaries of the digital television access obligation that wish to offer bundles of digital video and broadband internet services to their customers (except
Proximus
).
In February 2012,
Telenet
submitted draft reference offers regarding the obligations described above, and the
Belgium Regulatory Authorities
published the final decision on September 9, 2013.
Telenet
has implemented the access obligations as described in its reference offers and, on March 1, 2016, Orange Belgium NV (
Orange Belgium
), formerly known as Mobistar SA, launched a commercial offer combining a cable TV package and broadband internet access for certain of their mobile customers. In addition, as a result of the November 2014 decision by the Brussels Court of Appeal described below, on November 14, 2014,
Proximus
submitted a request to
Telenet
to commence access negotiations.
Telenet
contests this request and has asked the
Belgium
65
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Regulatory Authorities
to assess the reasonableness of the
Proximus
request. The timing for a decision regarding this assessment by the
Belgium Regulatory Authorities
is not known, but is expected before the end of 2016.
On December 14, 2015, the
Belgium Regulatory Authorities
published a draft decision, which amended previously-issued decisions and sets forth the “retail minus” tariffs of minus
26%
for basic television (basic analog and digital video package) and minus
18%
for the bundle of basic television and broadband internet services during an initial
two
-year period. Following this
two
-year period, the tariffs would change to minus
15%
and
7%
, respectively. The draft decision was notified to the
European Commission
and a final decision was adopted on February 19, 2016. A “retail minus” method of pricing involves a wholesale tariff calculated as the retail price for the offered service by
Telenet
, excluding
VAT
and copyrights, and further deducting the retail costs avoided by offering the wholesale service (such as costs for billing, franchise, consumer service, marketing and sales).
Telenet
filed an appeal against the
July 2011 Decision
with the Brussels Court of Appeal. On November 12, 2014, the Brussels Court of Appeal rejected
Telenet
’s appeal of the
July 2011 Decision
and accepted
Proximus
’s claim that
Proximus
should be allowed access to
Telenet
’s, among other operators, digital television platform and the resale of bundles of digital video and broadband internet services. On November 30, 2015,
Telenet
filed an appeal of this decision with the
Belgian Supreme Court
. In 2014,
Telenet
and wireless operator
Orange Belgium
each filed an appeal with the Brussels Court of Appeal against the initial retail minus decisions. These appeals are still pending. On April 25, 2016,
Telenet
also filed an appeal with the Brussels Court of Appeal challenging the February 19, 2016 retail minus decision. There can be no certainty that
Telenet
’s appeals will be successful.
The
July 2011 Decision
aims to, and in its application may, strengthen
Telenet
’s competitors by granting them resale access to
Telenet
’s network to offer competing products and services notwithstanding
Telenet
’s substantial historical financial outlays in developing the infrastructure. In addition, any resale access granted to competitors could (i) limit the bandwidth available to
Telenet
to provide new or expanded products and services to the customers served by its network and (ii) adversely impact
Telenet
’s ability to maintain or increase its revenue and cash flows. The extent of any such adverse impacts ultimately will be dependent on the extent that competitors take advantage of the resale access ultimately afforded to
Telenet
’s network and other competitive factors or market developments.
Financial Transactions Tax.
Certain countries in the European Union (
E.U.
), including Germany, Austria and Slovakia, are participating in an enhanced cooperation procedure to introduce a financial transactions tax (the
FTT
). Under the draft language of the
FTT
proposal, a wide range of financial transactions could be taxed at rates of at least
0.01%
for derivative transactions based on the notional amount and
0.1%
for other covered financial transactions based on the underlying transaction price. Each of the individual countries would be permitted to determine an exact rate, which could be higher than the proposed rates of
0.01%
and
0.1%
. Any implementation of the
FTT
could have a global impact because it would apply to all financial transactions where a financial institution is involved (including unregulated entities that engage in certain types of covered activity) and either of the parties (whether the financial institution or its counterparty) is in one of the participating countries. Although there continues to be ongoing discussions in the relevant countries around the
FTT
, uncertainty remains as to if and when the
FTT
will be implemented and the breadth of its application. Based on our understanding of the current status of the potential
FTT
, we do not expect that any implementation of the
FTT
would occur before 2018. Any imposition of the
FTT
could increase banking fees and introduce taxes on internal transactions that we currently perform. Due to the uncertainty regarding the
FTT
, we are currently unable to estimate the financial impact that the
FTT
could have on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.
Virgin Media VAT
Matters.
Virgin Media
’s application of
VAT
with respect to certain revenue generating activities has been challenged by the
U.K.
tax authorities.
Virgin Media
has estimated its maximum exposure in the event of an unfavorable outcome to be
£46.4 million
(
$60.2 million
) as of
September 30, 2016
.
No
portion of this exposure has been accrued by
Virgin Media
as the likelihood of loss is not considered to be probable. A court hearing was held at the end of September 2014 in relation to the
U.K.
tax authorities’ challenge and the timing of the court’s decision is uncertain.
On March 19, 2014, the
U.K.
government announced a change in legislation with respect to the charging of
VAT
in connection with prompt payment discounts such as those that we offer to our fixed-line telephony customers. This change, which took effect on May 1, 2014, impacted our company and some of our competitors. The
U.K.
tax authority issued a decision in the fourth quarter of 2015 challenging our application of the prompt payment discount rules prior to the May 1, 2014 change in legislation. We have appealed this decision. As part of the appeal process, we were required to make aggregate payments of
£67.0 million
(
$99.1 million
at the respective transaction dates), which included the challenged amount of
£63.7 million
and related interest of
£3.3 million
. The aggregate amount paid does not include penalties, which could be significant in the unlikely event that penalties were to be assessed. This matter will likely be subject to court proceedings that could delay the ultimate resolution for an extended period of
66
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
time.
No
portion of this potential exposure has been accrued by our company as the likelihood of loss is not considered to be probable.
Hungary VAT Matter.
In February 2016, our direct-to-home satellite (
DTH
) operations in Luxembourg received a second instance decision from the Hungarian tax authorities as a result of an audit with respect to
VAT
payments that the Hungarian tax authorities conducted for the years 2010 through 2012. The Hungarian tax authorities assessed our
DTH
operations with an obligation to pay
VAT
for the years audited of HUF
5,413.2 million
(
$19.7 million
), excluding interest and penalties, which could be significant. We believe that our
DTH
operations have operated in compliance with all applicable rules, regulations and interpretations thereof, including a binding tax ruling that we received from the Hungarian government in 2010. In October 2016 a Budapest court disagreed with the tax authorities and dismissed the assessment. We expect the final written opinion by the judge in late November, which decision is subject to appeal to the Hungarian Supreme Court.
No
portion of this exposure has been accrued by us as the likelihood of loss is not considered to be probable.
Telenet MVNO Matter.
Telenet
and
Orange Belgium
were in dispute over amounts payable to
Orange Belgium
with respect to certain provisions of their
MVNO
agreement, and
Orange Belgium
initiated legal proceedings against
Telenet
claiming, among other things, that the migration period after termination or expiration of the
MVNO
agreement should be shortened from
24 months
to
six months
. In May 2016, the parties reached an agreement settling all outstanding legal disputes between both companies and defining the terms and conditions of the
MVNO
arrangement including the future termination date of the
MVNO
agreement. We consider this matter closed.
Other Regulatory Issues.
Video distribution, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile and content businesses are regulated in each of the countries in which we operate. The scope of regulation varies from country to country, although in some significant respects regulation in European markets is harmonized under the regulatory structure of the
E.U.
Adverse regulatory developments could subject our businesses to a number of risks. Regulation, including conditions imposed on us by competition or other authorities as a requirement to close acquisitions or dispositions, could limit growth, revenue and the number and types of services offered and could lead to increased operating costs and property and equipment additions. In addition, regulation may restrict our operations and subject them to further competitive pressure, including pricing restrictions, interconnect and other access obligations, and restrictions or controls on content, including content provided by third parties. Failure to comply with current or future regulation could expose our businesses to various penalties.
We have been notified of a fourfold increase in the rateable value of our network and other assets in the
U.K.
that is scheduled to become effective on April 1, 2017. This increase will affect the amount we pay for network infrastructure charges as the annual amount payable to the
U.K.
government is calculated by applying a percentage multiplier to the rateable value of assets. The multiplier applicable for 2017 and future years has not yet been confirmed. The phasing of the increase in rates will also be affected by transitional relief, the mechanism for which remains under consultation. If implemented, this proposed change, together with a similar proposed change in Ireland, would result in significant increases in our network infrastructure charges. Depending on the final determinations with respect to the multiplier and transitional relief, we estimate that the aggregate amount of these increases will range between
£25 million
(
$32 million
) and
£35 million
(
$45 million
) during 2017 and will build to a maximum aggregate increase of up to
£150 million
(
$195 million
) in 2021. We believe that the proposed increases are excessive, and we will challenge the underlying methodology and assumptions.
We have security accreditations across a range of
B2B
products and services in order to increase our offerings to public sector organizations in the
U.K.
These accreditations are granted subject to periodic reviews of our policies and procedures by
U.K.
governmental authorities. If we were to fail to maintain these accreditations or obtain new accreditations when required, it could impact our ability to provide certain offerings to the public sector.
In addition to the foregoing items, we have contingent liabilities related to matters arising in the ordinary course of business, including (i) legal proceedings, (ii) issues involving
VAT
and wage, property, withholding and other tax issues and (iii) disputes over interconnection, programming, copyright and channel carriage fees. While we generally expect that the amounts required to satisfy these contingencies will not materially differ from any estimated amounts we have accrued, no assurance can be given that the resolution of one or more of these contingencies will not result in a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position in any given period. Due, in general, to the complexity of the issues involved and, in certain cases, the lack of a clear basis for predicting outcomes, we cannot provide a meaningful range of potential losses or cash outflows that might result from any unfavorable outcomes.
67
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(
14
)
Segment Reporting
We generally identify our reportable segments as those consolidated subsidiaries that represent
10%
or more of our revenue,
Adjusted OIBDA
(as defined below) or total assets. In certain cases, we may elect to include an operating segment in our segment disclosure that does not meet the above-described criteria for a reportable segment. We evaluate performance and make decisions about allocating resources to our operating segments based on financial measures such as revenue and
Adjusted OIBDA
. In addition, we review non-financial measures such as subscriber growth, as appropriate.
Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (
Adjusted OIBDA
) is the primary measure used by our chief operating decision maker to evaluate segment operating performance.
Adjusted OIBDA
is also a key factor that is used by our internal decision makers to (i) determine how to allocate resources to segments and (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of our management for purposes of annual and other incentive compensation plans. As we use the term,
Adjusted OIBDA
is defined as operating income before depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, provisions and provision releases related to significant litigation and impairment, restructuring and other operating items. Other operating items include (a) gains and losses on the disposition of long-lived assets, (b) third-party costs directly associated with successful and unsuccessful acquisitions and dispositions, including legal, advisory and due diligence fees, as applicable, and (c) other acquisition-related items, such as gains and losses on the settlement of contingent consideration. Our internal decision makers believe
Adjusted OIBDA
is a meaningful measure because it represents a transparent view of our recurring operating performance that is unaffected by our capital structure and allows management to (1) readily view operating trends, (2) perform analytical comparisons and benchmarking between segments and (3) identify strategies to improve operating performance in the different countries in which we operate. A reconciliation of total segment
Adjusted OIBDA
to our earnings (loss) before income taxes is presented below.
As of
September 30, 2016
, our reportable segments are as follows:
•
European Operations Division
:
•
U.K./Ireland
•
The Netherlands
•
Germany
•
Belgium
•
Switzerland/Austria
•
Central and Eastern Europe
•
LiLAC Division:
•
CWC
•
Chile
•
Puerto Rico
All of the reportable segments set forth above derive their revenue primarily from consumer and
B2B
services, including video, broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services and, with the exception of Puerto Rico, mobile services. At
September 30, 2016
, our operating segments in the
European Operations Division
provided consumer and
B2B
services in
12
European countries and
DTH
services to customers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia through a Luxembourg-based organization that we refer to as “
UPC DTH
.” In addition to
UPC DTH
, our Central and Eastern Europe segment includes our broadband communications operations in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The
European Operations Division
’s central and other category includes (i) costs associated with certain centralized functions, including billing systems, network operations, technology, marketing, facilities, finance and other administrative functions, and (ii) intersegment eliminations within the
European Operations Division
. In addition, our
LiLAC Division
provides consumer and
B2B
services in (a)
18
countries, all but
one
of which are located in Latin America and the Caribbean, through
CWC
, (b) Chile through
VTR
and (c) Puerto Rico through
Liberty Puerto Rico
.
CWC
also provides (1)
B2B
services in certain other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and (2) wholesale services over its sub-sea and terrestrial networks that connect over
30
markets in that region. The corporate and other category for the
Liberty Global Group
includes less significant consolidated operating segments that provide programming and other services. Intersegment eliminations primarily represent the elimination of intercompany transactions between our broadband communications and programming operations.
68
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Performance Measures of Our Reportable Segments
The amounts presented below represent
100%
of each of our reportable segment’s revenue and
Adjusted OIBDA
. As we have the ability to control
Telenet
,
Liberty Puerto Rico
and certain subsidiaries of
CWC
that are not wholly owned, we consolidate
100%
of the revenue and expenses of these entities in our condensed consolidated statements of operations despite the fact that third parties own significant interests in these entities. The noncontrolling owners’ interests in the operating results of
Telenet
,
Liberty Puerto Rico
, certain subsidiaries of
CWC
and other less significant majority-owned subsidiaries are reflected in net earnings or loss attributable to noncontrolling interests in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. For additional information, see note
1
.
Revenue
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
1,581.4
$
1,783.3
$
4,985.6
$
5,254.3
The Netherlands
681.8
681.4
2,030.4
2,072.7
Germany
639.4
603.5
1,900.0
1,792.4
Belgium (a)
693.4
512.5
2,010.9
1,515.5
Switzerland/Austria
439.3
437.9
1,319.7
1,326.0
Total Western Europe
4,035.3
4,018.6
12,246.6
11,960.9
Central and Eastern Europe
274.5
266.2
814.6
801.6
Central and other
(1.9
)
0.1
(5.2
)
(3.7
)
Total European Operations Division
4,307.9
4,284.9
13,056.0
12,758.8
Corporate and other
18.0
8.3
47.8
33.9
Intersegment eliminations (b)
(12.8
)
(4.6
)
(35.4
)
(19.9
)
Total Liberty Global Group
4,313.1
4,288.6
13,068.4
12,772.8
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (c)
568.5
—
854.1
—
Chile
221.3
204.3
631.9
633.9
Puerto Rico (d)
104.8
104.5
315.6
274.1
Total LiLAC Division
894.6
308.8
1,801.6
908.0
Intersegment eliminations
(0.5
)
—
(0.7
)
—
Total LiLAC Group
894.1
308.8
1,800.9
908.0
Total
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition revenue of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
Amounts are primarily related to transactions between our
European Operations Division
and our programming operations.
(c)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition revenue of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
69
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(d)
The amounts presented for the 2015 periods exclude the pre-acquisition revenue of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
Adjusted OIBDA
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
696.0
$
777.0
$
2,206.1
$
2,345.9
The Netherlands
375.5
388.6
1,107.5
1,127.5
Germany
408.0
380.9
1,187.7
1,111.8
Belgium (a)
311.1
258.3
892.2
766.1
Switzerland/Austria
273.4
269.6
795.1
778.1
Total Western Europe
2,064.0
2,074.4
6,188.6
6,129.4
Central and Eastern Europe
120.4
119.0
345.9
355.5
Central and other
(77.0
)
(74.0
)
(243.7
)
(214.6
)
Total European Operations Division
2,107.4
2,119.4
6,290.8
6,270.3
Corporate and other
(47.4
)
(55.3
)
(162.6
)
(159.7
)
Total Liberty Global Group
2,060.0
2,064.1
6,128.2
6,110.6
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
214.5
—
315.5
—
Chile
86.9
82.5
245.0
246.1
Puerto Rico (c)
56.1
46.4
152.9
120.7
Total LiLAC Division
357.5
128.9
713.4
366.8
Corporate
(2.9
)
(1.1
)
(5.8
)
(3.2
)
Total LiLAC Group
354.6
127.8
707.6
363.6
Total
$
2,414.6
$
2,191.9
$
6,835.8
$
6,474.2
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amounts presented for the 2015 periods exclude the pre-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
70
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
The following table provides a reconciliation of total segment
Adjusted OIBDA
to earnings (loss) before income taxes:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Total segment Adjusted OIBDA
$
2,414.6
$
2,191.9
$
6,835.8
$
6,474.2
Share-based compensation expense
(62.8
)
(125.0
)
(206.4
)
(253.0
)
Depreciation and amortization
(1,416.9
)
(1,458.4
)
(4,405.4
)
(4,387.6
)
Impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net
(32.2
)
(63.0
)
(246.9
)
(105.7
)
Operating income
902.7
545.5
1,977.1
1,727.9
Interest expense
(664.4
)
(617.7
)
(1,940.8
)
(1,834.4
)
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net
(436.4
)
742.0
106.9
680.8
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net
92.3
(216.2
)
133.2
(911.4
)
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, net
73.8
(276.1
)
(570.8
)
(13.9
)
Losses on debt modification and extinguishment, net
(64.8
)
(34.3
)
(88.7
)
(382.6
)
Other income (expense), net
1.2
(5.1
)
31.0
(7.8
)
Earnings (loss) before income taxes
$
(95.6
)
$
138.1
$
(352.1
)
$
(741.4
)
71
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Property and Equipment Additions of our Reportable Segments
The property and equipment additions of our reportable segments (including capital additions financed under vendor financing or capital lease arrangements) are presented below and reconciled to the capital expenditure amounts included in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. For additional information concerning capital additions financed under vendor financing and capital lease arrangements, see note
7
.
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
1,179.3
$
1,114.5
The Netherlands
421.0
382.3
Germany
426.8
415.1
Belgium (a)
366.5
231.5
Switzerland/Austria
241.3
220.7
Total Western Europe
2,634.9
2,364.1
Central and Eastern Europe
221.5
185.1
Central and other
249.1
219.9
Total European Operations Division
3,105.5
2,769.1
Corporate and other
4.1
51.7
Total Liberty Global Group
3,109.6
2,820.8
LiLAC Group:
CWC (b)
144.9
—
Chile
155.0
129.1
Puerto Rico (c)
65.1
55.7
Total LiLAC Group
365.0
184.8
Total property and equipment additions
3,474.6
3,005.6
Assets acquired under capital-related vendor financing arrangements
(1,439.3
)
(1,090.6
)
Assets acquired under capital leases
(78.0
)
(89.3
)
Changes in current liabilities related to capital expenditures
(12.3
)
25.8
Total capital expenditures
$
1,945.0
$
1,851.5
_______________
(a)
The amount presented for the 2016 period includes the post-acquisition property and equipment additions of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amount presented for the 2016 period reflects the post-acquisition property and equipment additions of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amount presented for the 2015 period excludes the pre-acquisition property and equipment additions of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
72
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Revenue by Major Category
Our revenue by major category is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Subscription revenue (a):
Video
$
1,632.1
$
1,587.3
$
4,813.8
$
4,798.1
Broadband internet
1,338.0
1,287.5
3,980.7
3,793.1
Fixed-line telephony
757.8
792.5
2,291.3
2,387.5
Cable subscription revenue
3,727.9
3,667.3
11,085.8
10,978.7
Mobile (b)
513.8
270.1
1,226.1
783.0
Total subscription revenue
4,241.7
3,937.4
12,311.9
11,761.7
B2B revenue (c)
597.9
393.5
1,504.6
1,154.7
Other revenue (b) (d)
367.6
266.5
1,052.8
764.4
Total
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
_______________
(a)
Subscription revenue includes amounts received from subscribers for ongoing services, excluding installation fees and late fees. Subscription revenue from subscribers who purchase bundled services at a discounted rate is generally allocated proportionally to each service based on the standalone price for each individual service. As a result, changes in the standalone pricing of our cable and mobile products or the composition of bundles can contribute to changes in our product revenue categories from period to period.
(b)
Mobile subscription revenue excludes mobile interconnect revenue of
$78.4 million
and
$52.6 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$232.6 million
and
$160.1 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. Mobile interconnect revenue and revenue from mobile handset sales are included in other revenue.
(c)
B2B
revenue includes revenue from business broadband internet, video, voice, mobile and data services offered to medium to large enterprises and, on a wholesale basis, to other operators. We also provide services to certain small or home office (
SOHO
) subscribers.
SOHO
subscribers pay a premium price to receive expanded service levels along with video, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony or mobile services that are the same or similar to the mass marketed products offered to our residential subscribers. Revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, which is included in subscription revenue, aggregated
$132.7 million
and
$78.7 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$356.7 million
and
$213.5 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively.
(d)
Other revenue includes, among other items,
mobile handset sales, interconnect, channel carriage fee and installation revenue
.
73
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
Geographic Segments
The revenue of our geographic segments is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K.
$
1,473.6
$
1,686.0
$
4,657.7
$
4,960.4
The Netherlands
681.8
681.4
2,030.4
2,072.7
Belgium (a)
693.4
512.5
2,010.9
1,515.5
Germany
639.4
603.5
1,900.0
1,792.4
Switzerland
344.0
345.4
1,033.8
1,049.5
Ireland
107.8
97.3
327.9
293.9
Poland
98.9
99.1
294.9
301.3
Austria
95.3
92.5
285.9
276.5
Hungary
69.1
64.6
202.5
194.8
The Czech Republic
44.7
44.6
134.2
132.8
Romania
43.2
40.0
127.5
117.6
Slovakia
14.4
14.7
44.1
44.7
Other
2.3
3.3
6.2
6.7
Total European Operations Division
4,307.9
4,284.9
13,056.0
12,758.8
Other, including intersegment eliminations
5.2
3.7
12.4
14.0
Total Liberty Global Group
4,313.1
4,288.6
13,068.4
12,772.8
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b):
Panama
159.1
—
242.3
—
Jamaica
79.1
—
119.5
—
Bahamas
71.7
—
108.9
—
Barbados
55.7
—
82.3
—
Trinidad and Tobago
40.4
—
60.5
—
Other (c)
162.5
—
240.6
—
Total CWC
568.5
—
854.1
—
Chile
221.3
204.3
631.9
633.9
Puerto Rico (d)
104.8
104.5
315.6
274.1
Total LiLAC Division
894.6
308.8
1,801.6
908.0
Intersegment eliminations
(0.5
)
—
(0.7
)
—
Total LiLAC Group
894.1
308.8
1,800.9
908.0
Total
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition revenue of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
74
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)
September 30, 2016
(unaudited)
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition revenue of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
Amounts for the 2016 periods include revenue from
CWC
’s other consumer and
B2B
operations, primarily in other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as intercompany eliminations.
(d)
The amounts presented for the 2015 periods exclude the pre-acquisition revenue of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
(
15
)
Subsequent Events
Telenet
Refinancing Transaction
In November 2016, (i)
Telenet International
, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Telenet
, entered into a new
€1,600.0 million
(
$1,796.5 million
) term loan facility (
Telenet Facility AE
), which matures on January 31, 2025, bears interest at a rate of
3.25%
and is subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.0%
, and (ii)
Telenet Finance
entered into a new
$1,500.0 million
term loan facility (
Telenet Facility AF
), which matures on January 31, 2025, bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus
3.0%
and is subject to a LIBOR floor of
0.0%
. The net proceeds from
Telenet Facility AE
and
Telenet Facility AF
will be used to prepay in full (a) the
€474.1 million
(
$532.3 million
) outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility W
,
(b) the
€882.9 million
(
$991.4 million
) outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility Y
, (c) the
€800.0 million
(
$898.3 million
) outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility AA
and (d) the
$850.0 million
outstanding principal amount under
Telenet Facility AD
.
Pending Acquisition
On October 18, 2016, our subsidiary UPC Polska SP Z.o.o. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the cable business of Multimedia Polska S.A. (
Multimedia
), the third-largest cable operator in Poland, for cash consideration of PLN
3.0 billion
(
$783.6 million
), which is equal to the enterprise value assigned to
Multimedia
for purposes of this transaction. The final purchase price is subject to potential downward adjustments for the operational and financial performance of
Multimedia
prior to closing. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to close within the next 12 months.
75
Item 2.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis, which should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the discussion and analysis included in our
2015
Annual Report on Form 10-K, is intended to assist in providing an understanding of our financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of operations and is organized as follows:
•
Forward-looking Statements.
This section provides a description of certain factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from anticipated results or events.
•
Overview.
This section provides a general description of our business and recent events.
•
Material Changes in Results of Operations.
This section provides an analysis of our results of operations for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
.
•
Material Changes in Financial Condition.
This section provides an analysis of our corporate and subsidiary liquidity, condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and contractual commitments.
•
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
This section provides discussion and analysis of the foreign currency, interest rate and other market risk that our company faces.
The capitalized terms used below have been defined in the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements. In the following text, the terms “we,” “our,” “our company” and “us” may refer, as the context requires, to
Liberty Global
or collectively to
Liberty Global
and its subsidiaries.
Unless otherwise indicated, convenience translations into
U.S.
dollars are calculated as of
September 30, 2016
.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. To the extent that statements in this Quarterly Report are not recitations of historical fact, such statements constitute forward-looking statements, which, by definition, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In particular, statements under
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
and
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
may
contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our business, product, foreign currency and finance strategies, our property and equipment additions (including with respect to network extensions), subscriber growth and retention rates, competitive, regulatory and economic factors, the timing and impacts of proposed transactions, the maturity of our markets, the anticipated impacts of new legislation (or changes to existing rules and regulations), anticipated changes in our revenue, costs or growth rates, our liquidity, credit risks, foreign currency risks, target leverage levels, our future projected contractual commitments and cash flows and other information and statements that are not historical fact. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. In addition to the risk factors described in our
2015
Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our June 30, 2016 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the following are some but not all of the factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from anticipated results or events:
•
economic and business conditions and industry trends in the countries in which we operate;
•
the competitive environment in the industries in the countries in which we operate, including competitor responses to our products and services;
•
fluctuations in currency exchange rates and interest rates;
•
instability in global financial markets, including sovereign debt issues and related fiscal reforms;
•
consumer disposable income and spending levels, including the availability and amount of individual consumer debt;
•
changes in consumer television viewing preferences and habits;
76
•
consumer acceptance of our existing service offerings, including our cable television, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile and business service offerings, and of new technology, programming alternatives and other products and services that we may offer in the future;
•
our ability to manage rapid technological changes;
•
our ability to maintain or increase the number of subscriptions to our cable television, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony and mobile service offerings and our average revenue per household;
•
our ability to provide satisfactory customer service, including support for new and evolving products and services;
•
our ability to maintain or increase rates to our subscribers or to pass through increased costs to our subscribers;
•
the impact of our future financial performance, or market conditions generally, on the availability, terms and deployment of capital;
•
changes in, or failure or inability to comply with, government regulations in the countries in which we operate and adverse outcomes from regulatory proceedings;
•
government intervention that opens our broadband distribution networks to competitors, such as the obligations imposed in Belgium;
•
our ability to obtain regulatory approval and satisfy other conditions necessary to close acquisitions and dispositions, and the impact of conditions imposed by competition and other regulatory authorities in connection with acquisitions;
•
our ability to successfully acquire new businesses and, if acquired, to integrate, realize anticipated efficiencies from and implement our business plan with respect to the businesses we have acquired, such as Ziggo Holding B.V. (
Ziggo
),
Choice
,
BASE
and
CWC
, or we expect to acquire;
•
changes in laws or treaties relating to taxation, or the interpretation thereof, in the
U.K.
,
U.S.
or in other countries in which we operate;
•
changes in laws and government regulations that may impact the availability and cost of capital and the derivative instruments that hedge certain of our financial risks;
•
the ability of suppliers and vendors (including our third-party wireless network providers under our
MVNO
arrangements) to timely deliver quality products, equipment, software, services and access;
•
the availability of attractive programming for our video services and the costs associated with such programming, including retransmission and copyright fees payable to public and private broadcasters;
•
uncertainties inherent in the development and integration of new business lines and business strategies;
•
our ability to adequately forecast and plan future network requirements, including the costs and benefits associated with our network extension programs;
•
the availability of capital for the acquisition and/or development of telecommunications networks and services;
•
problems we may discover post-closing with the operations, including the internal controls and financial reporting process, of businesses we acquire;
•
the leakage of sensitive customer data;
•
the outcome of any pending or threatened litigation;
•
the loss of key employees and the availability of qualified personnel;
•
changes in the nature of key strategic relationships with partners and joint venturers;
•
our equity capital structure; and
77
•
events that are outside of our control, such as political unrest in international markets, terrorist attacks, malicious human acts, natural disasters, pandemics and other similar events.
The broadband distribution and mobile service industries are changing rapidly and, therefore, the forward-looking statements of expectations, plans and intent in this Quarterly Report are subject to a significant degree of risk. These forward-looking statements and the above-described risks, uncertainties and other factors speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.
Overview
We are an international provider of video, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony, mobile and other communications services to consumers and businesses, with consolidated operations at
September 30, 2016
in more than
30
countries. We provide consumer and
B2B
services in (i) the
U.K.
and Ireland through
Virgin Media
, (ii) the Netherlands through
Ziggo Group Holding
, (iii) Germany through
Unitymedia
, (iv) Belgium through
Telenet
and (v)
seven
other European countries through
UPC Holding
. The operations of
Virgin Media
,
Ziggo Group Holding
,
Unitymedia
,
Telenet
and
UPC Holding
are collectively referred to herein as the “
European Operations Division
.” In addition, we provide consumer and
B2B
services in (a)
18
countries, predominantly in Latin America or the Caribbean, through
CWC
, (b) Chile through
VTR
and (c) Puerto Rico through
Liberty Puerto Rico
.
CWC
also provides (1)
B2B
services in certain other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and (2) wholesale services over its sub-sea and terrestrial networks that connect over 30 markets in that region. The operations of
CWC
,
VTR
and
Liberty Puerto Rico
are collectively referred to herein as the “
LiLAC Division
.”
On July 1, 2015, we completed the
LiLAC Transaction
, pursuant to which we (i) reclassified our then outstanding
Old Liberty Global Shares
into
Liberty Global Shares
and (ii) distributed
LiLAC Shares
to holders of our
Old Liberty Global Shares
. The
Liberty Global Shares
and the
LiLAC Shares
are intended to reflect or “track” the economic performance of the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
, respectively. For additional information, see note
1
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
We have completed a number of transactions that impact the comparability of our
2016
and
2015
results of operations, including the
CWC Acquisition
on May 16, 2016, the
BASE Acquisition
on February 11, 2016 and the
Choice Acquisition
on June 3, 2015. For further information regarding our acquisitions and the pending formation of the
Dutch JV
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Through our subsidiaries and affiliates, we are the largest international broadband communications operator in terms of customers. At
September 30, 2016
, we owned and operated networks that passed
56,246,700
homes and served
59,576,100
revenue generating units (
RGU
s), consisting of
24,210,700
video subscribers,
19,319,800
broadband internet subscribers and
16,045,600
fixed-line telephony subscribers. In addition, at
September 30, 2016
, we served
10,421,400
mobile subscribers.
Including the effect of acquisitions, we added a total of
293,700
and 2,617,200
RGU
s during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively. Excluding the effect of acquisitions (
RGU
s added on the acquisition date), but including post-acquisition date changes in
RGU
s, we added
283,700
and 716
,
600
RGU
s on an organic basis during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to 321,300 and 532,700
RGU
s added on an organic basis during the corresponding prior-year periods. The organic
RGU
growth during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
is primarily attributable to the
net effect of (i) increases of
207,500
and 576,700 broadband internet
RGU
s, respectively, (ii) decreases of
104,400
and 382,000 basic video
RGU
s, respectively, (iii) increases of
110,100
and 374,600 fixed-line telephony
RGU
s, respectively, and (iv) increases of
63,200
and 142,300 enhanced video
RGU
s, respectively.
Including the effect of acquisitions, we added 44,700 and 5,837,900 mobile subscribers during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively.
Excluding the effect of acquisitions, we added
44,700
and
138,800
mobile subscribers on an organic basis during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to 69,800 and 216,200 added on an organic basis during the corresponding prior-year periods. The organic growth during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
includes (i) increases
in postpaid mobile subscribers of
140,200
and 359,100, respectively, and (ii) decreases in prepaid mobile subscribers of
95,500
and 220,300, respectively.
78
We are experiencing significant competition from incumbent telecommunications operators (particularly in the Netherlands and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland, where the incumbent telecommunications operators are overbuilding our networks with fiber-to-the-home, -cabinet, -building or -node and advanced digital subscriber line technologies),
DTH
operators and/or other providers in all of our markets. In the Bahamas, where
CWC
has been the only provider of mobile services, competition will increase significantly once commercial mobile services are launched by a competitor, which is expected to occur before the end of 2016. In addition, in certain of
CWC
's markets,
CWC
is experiencing increased regulatory intervention that would, if implemented, facilitate increased competition. In certain of our markets, this significant competition, together with the maturation of these markets, has contributed to organic declines in revenue,
RGU
s and/or average monthly subscription revenue per average cable
RGU
or mobile subscriber, as applicable (
ARPU
), the more notable of which include:
(i)
organic declines in (a) cable subscription in the Netherlands and Switzerland and (b) overall revenue in the Netherlands during the
third
quarter of
2016
, as compared to the
third
quarter of
2015
;
(ii)
organic declines during the
third
quarter of
2016
in (a) video
RGU
s in the majority of our markets, (b) fixed-line telephony
RGU
s in Chile, the Netherlands and Switzerland and (c) total
RGU
s in Switzerland and the Netherlands; and
(iii)
organic declines in overall cable
ARPU
in many of our markets during the
third
quarter of
2016
, as compared to the
third
quarter of
2015
.
In addition, due to competitive and macroeconomic factors,
CWC
has experienced organic revenue declines in many of its markets, including Barbados, the Bahamas, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago during the third quarter of 2016, as compared to the corresponding period in 2015. We acquired
CWC
on May 16, 2016.
On June 23, 2016, the
U.K.
held a referendum in which
U.K.
citizens voted in favor of, on an advisory basis, an exit from the
E.U.
commonly referred to as “
Brexit
.” Although the vote is non-binding, the British government has announced it will formally notify the
E.U.
in March 2017 of its intention to leave the
E.U.
The
U.K.
High Court ruled on November 3, 2016 that the
U.K.
parliament must vote on whether the
U.K.
can start the process of leaving the
E.U.
The British government has appealed the ruling, which may take several months. The outcome of the appeal is relevant for the timing and terms under which the parties will commence negotiations to determine the terms of the
U.K.
’s withdrawal from the
E.U.
A withdrawal could, among other outcomes, disrupt the free movement of goods, services, people and capital between the
U.K.
and the
E.U.
, undermine bilateral cooperation in key geographic areas and significantly disrupt trade between the
U.K.
and the
E.U.
or other nations (including the
U.S.
) as the
U.K.
pursues independent trade relations. The initial impact of the announcement of
Brexit
caused significant volatility in global stock markets, including in the prices of our shares. In addition, the
U.S.
dollar has significantly strengthened against the British pound sterling during the period following Brexit. The effects of
Brexit
could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are facing a challenging economic environment in Puerto Rico due in part to the government’s liquidity issues. In this regard, the Puerto Rico government has failed to make significant portions of its scheduled debt payments during 2016. Although the Puerto Rico government has implemented tax increases and other measures to improve its solvency and the
U.S.
has implemented legislation designed to help manage Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, it remains possible, if not likely, that Puerto Rico will be required to restructure its debt obligations. If the fiscal and economic conditions in Puerto Rico were to worsen, the population of Puerto Rico could continue to decline and the demand and ability of customers to pay for
Liberty Puerto Rico
’s services could be impaired, both of which could have a negative impact on
Liberty Puerto Rico
’s results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
In early October 2016, our fixed-line and mobile networks in the Bahamas suffered extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Matthew. Although many of our customers experienced significant outages as a result of Hurricane Matthew, service to most
of our fixed-line and mobile subscribers has now been restored. As a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Mathew, we expect that our revenue and Adjusted OIBDA in the Bahamas will be adversely impacted for a number of months
and that we will be required to make significant property and equipment additions in order to fully repair the damage to our fixed-line and mobile networks. Although we are continuing to gather information regarding the condition of our networks and the time frames that customers will not be connected to our networks, our preliminary estimate is that the adverse impact of Hurricane Matthew on our revenue and Adjusted OIBDA in the Bahamas during the fourth quarter of 2016 will range from $8 million to $10 million and $8 million to $12 million, respectively. In addition, we expect that the total property and equipment additions required to repair our networks in the Bahamas will ultimately range from $35 million to $45 million, with $9 million to $12 million of these additions expected to occur during the fourth quarter of 2016. In 2017, we expect the adverse impacts on our revenue and
79
Adjusted OIBDA from Hurricane Matthew to progressively decline. Although we have property and business interruption insurance that we expect will cover a significant portion of our Hurricane Matthew losses, no assurance can be given as to the amount and timing of the insurance proceeds that we will ultimately recover.
Material Changes in Results of Operations
As noted under
Overview
above, the comparability of our operating results during
2016
and
2015
is affected by acquisitions. In the following discussion, we quantify the estimated impact of acquisitions on our operating results. The acquisition impact represents our estimate of the difference between the operating results of the periods under comparison that is attributable to an acquisition. In general, we base our estimate of the acquisition impact on an acquired entity’s operating results during the first three to six months following the acquisition date, as adjusted to remove integration costs and any other material nonrecurring or nonoperational items, such that changes from those operating results in subsequent periods are considered to be organic changes. Accordingly, in the following discussion, (i) variances attributed to an acquired entity during the first 12 months following the acquisition date represent differences between the estimated acquisition impact and the actual results and (ii) the calculation of our organic growth percentages includes the organic growth of an acquired entity relative to our estimate of the acquisition impact of such entity.
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates have a significant impact on our reported operating results as all of our operating subsidiaries, except for Puerto Rico,
CWC
and certain of
CWC
’s subsidiaries, have functional currencies other than the
U.S.
dollar. Our primary exposure to foreign currency translation effects (
FX
) risk during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
was to the euro and British pound sterling as
43.3% and 28.3% of our
U.S.
dollar revenue during the period was derived from subsidiaries whose functional currencies are the euro and British pound sterling, respectively. In addition, our reported operating results are impacted by changes in the exchange rates for the Swiss franc and other local currencies in Europe, as well as the Chilean peso. The portions of the changes
in the various components of our results of operations that are attributable to changes in
FX
are highlighted under
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
and
Discussion and Analysis of our Consolidated Operating Results
below. For information concerning applicable foreign currency exchange rates in effect for the periods covered by this Quarterly Report, see
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk — Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
below.
The amounts presented and discussed below represent 100% of each operating segment’s revenue and
Adjusted OIBDA
. As we have the ability to control
Telenet
,
Liberty Puerto Rico
and certain subsidiaries of
CWC
that are not wholly owned, we consolidate 100% of the revenue and expenses of these entities in our condensed consolidated statements of operations despite the fact that third parties own significant interests in these entities. The noncontrolling owners’ interests in the operating results of
Telenet
,
Liberty Puerto Rico
, certain subsidiaries of
CWC
and other less significant majority-owned subsidiaries are reflected in net earnings or loss attributable to noncontrolling interests in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. For additional information, see note
1
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
General
All of the reportable segments set forth below derive their revenue primarily from (i) broadband communications services, including video, broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services, (ii)
B2B
services and (iii) with the exception of Puerto Rico, mobile services. For detailed information regarding the composition of our reportable segments, see note
14
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
The tables presented below in this section provide a separate analysis of each of the line items that comprise
Adjusted OIBDA
, as further discussed in note
14
to our condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as an analysis of
Adjusted OIBDA
by reportable segment for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
. These tables present (i) the amounts reported by each of our reportable segments for the current and comparative periods, (ii) the
U.S.
dollar change and percentage change from period to period and (iii) the organic percentage change from period to period (percentage change after removing
FX
and the estimated impacts of acquisitions and dispositions). The comparisons that exclude
FX
assume that exchange rates remained constant at the prior-year rate during the comparative periods that are included in each table. We also provide a table showing the
Adjusted OIBDA
margins of our reportable segments for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
at the end of this section.
80
The revenue of our reportable segments includes revenue earned from (i) subscribers to our broadband communication and other fixed-line and
DTH
services (collectively referred to herein as “
cable subscription revenue
”) and our mobile services and (ii)
B2B
services, interconnect fees, mobile handset sales, channel carriage fees, installation fees, late fees and advertising revenue. Consistent with the presentation of our revenue categories in note
14
to our condensed consolidated financial statements, we use the term “subscription revenue” in the following discussion to refer to amounts received from subscribers for ongoing services, excluding installation fees and late fees. In the following tables, mobile subscription revenue excludes the related interconnect revenue.
In the
U.K.
, Belgium and
Switzerland/Austria
, we now offer our customers the option to purchase a mobile handset pursuant to a contract that is independent of a mobile airtime services contract (a
Split-contract Program
). Revenue associated with handsets sold under a
Split-contract Program
is recognized upfront and included in other non-subscription revenue. We generally recognize the full sales price for the mobile handset upon delivery, regardless of whether the sales price is received upfront or in installments. Prior to the
Split-contract Program
s, all revenue from handset sales that was contingent upon delivering future airtime services was recognized over the life of the customer contract as part of the monthly fee and included in subscription revenue.
Most of our revenue is derived from jurisdictions that administer
VAT
or similar revenue-based taxes. Any increases in these taxes could have an adverse impact on our ability to maintain or increase our revenue to the extent that we are unable to pass such tax increases on to our customers. In the case of revenue-based taxes for which we are the ultimate taxpayer, we will also experience increases in our operating expenses and corresponding declines in our
Adjusted OIBDA
and
Adjusted OIBDA
margins to the extent of any such tax increases.
We pay interconnection fees to other telephony providers when calls or text messages from our subscribers terminate on another network, and we receive similar fees from such providers when calls or text messages from their customers terminate on our networks or networks that we access through
MVNO
or other arrangements. The amounts we charge and incur with respect to fixed-line telephony and mobile interconnection fees are subject to regulatory oversight in many of our markets. To the extent that regulatory authorities introduce fixed-line or mobile termination rate changes, we would experience prospective changes and, in very limited cases, we could experience retroactive changes in our interconnect revenue and/or costs. The ultimate impact of any such changes in termination rates on our
Adjusted OIBDA
would be dependent on the call or text messaging patterns that are subject to the changed termination rates.
81
Revenue of our Reportable Segments
Three months ended September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
1,581.4
$
1,783.3
$
(201.9
)
(11.3
)
3.0
The Netherlands
681.8
681.4
0.4
0.1
(0.3
)
Germany
639.4
603.5
35.9
5.9
5.6
Belgium (a)
693.4
512.5
180.9
35.3
2.2
Switzerland/Austria
439.3
437.9
1.4
0.3
1.1
Total Western Europe
4,035.3
4,018.6
16.7
0.4
2.5
Central and Eastern Europe
274.5
266.2
8.3
3.1
3.8
Central and other
(1.9
)
0.1
(2.0
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total European Operations Division
4,307.9
4,284.9
23.0
0.5
2.6
Corporate and other
18.0
8.3
9.7
116.9
142.6
Intersegment eliminations
(12.8
)
(4.6
)
(8.2
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
4,313.1
4,288.6
24.5
0.6
2.6
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
568.5
—
568.5
N.M.
N.M.
Chile
221.3
204.3
17.0
8.3
6.0
Puerto Rico (c)
104.8
104.5
0.3
0.3
0.3
Total LiLAC Division
894.6
308.8
585.8
189.7
1.4
Intersegment eliminations
(0.5
)
—
(0.5
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total LiLAC Group
894.1
308.8
585.3
189.5
1.4
Total
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
609.8
13.3
2.4
82
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
4,985.6
$
5,254.3
$
(268.7
)
(5.1
)
3.3
The Netherlands
2,030.4
2,072.7
(42.3
)
(2.0
)
(2.1
)
Germany
1,900.0
1,792.4
107.6
6.0
5.9
Belgium (a)
2,010.9
1,515.5
495.4
32.7
3.8
Switzerland/Austria
1,319.7
1,326.0
(6.3
)
(0.5
)
1.7
Total Western Europe
12,246.6
11,960.9
285.7
2.4
2.7
Central and Eastern Europe
814.6
801.6
13.0
1.6
3.2
Central and other
(5.2
)
(3.7
)
(1.5
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total European Operations Division
13,056.0
12,758.8
297.2
2.3
2.7
Corporate and other
47.8
33.9
13.9
41.0
117.7
Intersegment eliminations
(35.4
)
(19.9
)
(15.5
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
13,068.4
12,772.8
295.6
2.3
2.8
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
854.1
—
854.1
N.M.
N.M.
Chile
631.9
633.9
(2.0
)
(0.3
)
6.0
Puerto Rico (c)
315.6
274.1
41.5
15.1
1.3
Total LiLAC Division
1,801.6
908.0
893.6
98.4
2.3
Intersegment eliminations
(0.7
)
—
(0.7
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total LiLAC Group
1,800.9
908.0
892.9
98.3
2.3
Total
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
$
1,188.5
8.7
2.7
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition revenue of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition revenue of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period excludes the pre-acquisition revenue of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
General.
While not specifically discussed in the below explanations of the changes in the revenue of our reportable segments, we are experiencing significant competition in all of our markets. This competition has an adverse impact on our ability to increase or maintain our
RGU
s and/or
ARPU
. For a description of the more notable recent impacts of this competition on our broadband communications markets, see
Overview
above.
Variances in the subscription revenue that we receive from our customers are a function of (i) changes in the number of
RGU
s or mobile subscribers outstanding during the period and (ii) changes in
ARPU
. Changes in
ARPU
can be attributable to (a) price increases, (b) changes in bundling or promotional discounts, (c) changes in the tier of services selected, (d) variances in subscriber usage patterns and (e) the overall mix of cable and mobile products within a segment during the period. In the
83
following discussion, we discuss
ARPU
changes in terms of the net impact of the above factors on the
ARPU
that is derived from our video, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony and mobile products.
U.K./Ireland
.
The
decreases
in
U.K./Ireland
’s revenue during
the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
,
as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$54.5 million
or
3.0%
and
$175.2 million
or
3.3%
, respectively, (ii) the impact of an acquisition, (iii) the impact of disposals and (iv) the impact of
FX
, as set f
orth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
31.4
$
—
$
31.4
$
81.0
$
—
$
81.0
ARPU (b)
22.5
—
22.5
42.5
—
42.5
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
53.9
—
53.9
123.5
—
123.5
Decrease in mobile subscription revenue (c)
(18.8
)
—
(18.8
)
(51.3
)
—
(51.3
)
Total increase in subscription revenue
35.1
—
35.1
72.2
—
72.2
Increase in B2B revenue (d)
—
8.4
8.4
—
32.1
32.1
Increase in other revenue (e)
—
11.0
11.0
—
70.9
70.9
Total organic increase
35.1
19.4
54.5
72.2
103.0
175.2
Impact of an acquisition
—
12.1
12.1
—
36.5
36.5
Impact of disposals
(f)
(3.5
)
(0.7
)
(4.2
)
(8.6
)
(5.8
)
(14.4
)
Impact of FX
(208.7
)
(55.6
)
(264.3
)
(368.3
)
(97.7
)
(466.0
)
Total
$
(177.1
)
$
(24.8
)
$
(201.9
)
$
(304.7
)
$
36.0
$
(268.7
)
_______________
(a)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related
to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) increases in the average numbers of broadband internet and fixed-line telephony
RGU
s in the
U.K.
and (ii) declines in the average number of enhanced video
RGU
s and, to a much lesser extent, the average numbers of basic
video
RGU
s in
Ireland. In addition, the increases in each period include a slight decrease for the three-month comparison and a slight increase for the nine-month comparison in the average number of fixed-line telephony
RGU
s in Ireland.
(b)
The
increases
in cable subscripti
on revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) net increases primarily due to (a) higher
ARPU
from broadband internet services, (b) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony services in the
U.K.
, (c) lower
ARPU
resulting from the impact of a
change in the regulations governing payment handling fees that
Virgin Media
charges to its customers in the
U.K.
, which reduced revenue by $9.1 million and $18.6 million, respectively, and (d) higher
ARPU
from video services, as increases in the
U.K.
were only partially offset by decreases in Ireland and (ii) adverse changes in
RGU
mix
.
(c)
The
decreases
in mobile subscription revenue relate to the net effect of (i) lower
ARPU
in the
U.K.
, including declines of $28.0 million and $74.8 million, respectively, in postpaid mobile services revenue due to the continued growth of the
U.K.
Split-contract Program
, (ii) increases in the
average number of postpaid mobile subscribers and (iii) declines in the average number of prepaid mobile subscribers in the
U.K.
(d)
The
increases
in
B2B
revenue are primarily due to the net effect of (i) increases in data revenue, primarily attributable to (a) higher volumes and (b) increases of $2.8 million and $11.6 million, respectively, in the
U.K.
’s amortization of deferred upfront fees on
B2B
contracts, (ii) lower voice revenue in the
U.K.
, primarily attributable to declines in usage, and (iii) for the nine-month comparison, an increase in low-margin equipment sales in the
U.K.
84
(e)
The
increases
in other revenue are largely due to the net effect of (i) increases in mobile handset sales in the
U.K.
, primarily attributable to increases of $8.2 million and $65.7 million, respectively, associated with the
U.K.
Split-contract Program
, (ii) decreases in interconnect revenue in the
U.K.
of $4.4 million and $12.7 million, respectively, primarily due to (a) declines in mobile short message service (or
SMS
) termination volumes and (b) lower fixed-line telephony termination volumes, (iii) increases in installation revenue in the
U.K.
and (iv) increases in broadcasting revenue in Ireland. The increases in revenue from the
Split-contract Program
are due to the net effect of (1) increased volume associated with the continued growth of the program and (2) lower average revenue per handset sold.
(f)
Represents the estimated impact of (i) the
multi-channel multi-point (microwave) distribution system subscribers in Ireland that have disconnected since we announced the switch-off of this service effective April 2016 and (ii)
the non-cable subscribers in the
U.K.
that we sold in the fourth quarter of 2014 (the
U.K. Non-Cable Disposal
). The non-cable subscribers were migrated to a third party during the first nine months of 2015.
As discussed above,
Virgin Media
has reduced certain fees it charges to customers in the
U.K.
as a result of a change in the regulations governing these fees, with the largest reduction effective April 1, 2016. We estimate that these reduced charges will result in a
£6 million
(
$8 million
) reduction of the
U.K.
’s cable subscription revenue and operating income for the last three months of 2016 when compared to the corresponding prior-year period.
The Netherlands.
The
increase (decrease)
in
the Netherlands’
revenue during
the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
,
as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, includes (i) organic
decreases
of
$2.0 million
or
0.3%
and
$43.9 million
or
2.1%
, respectively, and (ii) the impact of
FX
, as set f
orth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase (decrease) in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
(8.5
)
$
—
$
(8.5
)
$
(31.6
)
$
—
$
(31.6
)
ARPU (b)
2.2
—
2.2
(17.0
)
—
(17.0
)
Total decrease in cable subscription revenue
(6.3
)
—
(6.3
)
(48.6
)
—
(48.6
)
Increase in mobile subscription revenue (c)
1.3
—
1.3
3.8
—
3.8
Total decrease in subscription revenue
(5.0
)
—
(5.0
)
(44.8
)
—
(44.8
)
Increase in B2B revenue (d)
—
1.8
1.8
—
1.2
1.2
Increase (decrease) in other revenue (e)
—
1.2
1.2
—
(0.3
)
(0.3
)
Total organic increase (decrease)
(5.0
)
3.0
(2.0
)
(44.8
)
0.9
(43.9
)
Impact of FX
2.2
0.2
2.4
1.6
—
1.6
Total
$
(2.8
)
$
3.2
$
0.4
$
(43.2
)
$
0.9
$
(42.3
)
_______________
(a)
The
decreases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average num
bers of
RGU
s are attributable to declines in the average numbers of basic video, enhanced video and fixed-line telephony
RGU
s that were only partially offset by increases in the average number of broadband internet
RGU
s.
(b)
The
changes
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to the net effect of (i)
a net increase for the three-month comparison and a net decrease for the nine-month comparison due to
(a) higher
ARPU
from video services and (b) lower
ARPU
from broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services and (ii) improvements in
RGU
mix.
(c)
The
increases
in mobile subscription revenue are due to the net effect of (i) increases in the average number of mobile subscribers and (ii)
lower
ARPU
.
85
(d)
The
increases
in
B2B
revenue are primarily due to the net effect of (i) higher revenue from data services and (ii) lower revenue from voice services.
(e)
The decrease in other revenue for the nine-month comparison includes the net effect of (i) an increase due to the favorable impact of $3.3 million of nonrecurring revenue recorded during the first quarter of 2016 following the settlement of prior period amounts, (ii) a decrease in revenue of $1.6 million resulting from the termination of a partner network agreement in the Netherlands shortly after the November 2014 acquisition of
Ziggo
and (iii) a net decrease resulting from individually insignificant changes in other non-subscription revenue categories.
Germany.
The
increases
in Germany’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$33.6 million
or
5.6%
and
$105.7 million
or
5.9%
, respectively, and (ii) the impact of
FX
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue (a)
Non-subscription
revenue (b)
Total
Subscription
revenue (a)
Non-subscription
revenue (b)
Total
in millions
Increase in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (c)
$
14.8
$
—
$
14.8
$
43.8
$
—
$
43.8
ARPU (d)
19.3
—
19.3
62.3
—
62.3
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
34.1
—
34.1
106.1
—
106.1
Increase (decrease) in mobile subscription revenue
(0.2
)
—
(0.2
)
1.6
—
1.6
Total increase in subscription revenue
33.9
—
33.9
107.7
—
107.7
Increase in B2B revenue
—
0.2
0.2
—
1.2
1.2
Decrease in other revenue (e)
—
(0.5
)
(0.5
)
—
(3.2
)
(3.2
)
Total organic increase (decrease)
33.9
(0.3
)
33.6
107.7
(2.0
)
105.7
Impact of FX
1.7
0.6
2.3
1.7
0.2
1.9
Total
$
35.6
$
0.3
$
35.9
$
109.4
$
(1.8
)
$
107.6
_______________
(a)
Subscription revenue includes revenue from multi-year bulk agreements with landlords or housing associations or with third parties that operate and administer the in-building networks on behalf of housing associations. These bulk agreements, which generally allow for the procurement of the basic video signals at volume-based discounts, provide access to approximately two-thirds of Germany’s video subscribers. Germany’s bulk agreements are, to a significant extent, medium- and long-term contracts. As of
September 30, 2016
, bulk agreements covering approximately 35% of the video subscribers that Germany serves expire by the end of 2017 or are terminable on 30-days notice. During the three months ended
September 30, 2016
, Germany’s 20 largest bulk agreement accounts generated approximately 8% of its total revenue (including estimated amounts billed directly to the building occupants for digital video, broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services). No assurance can be given that Germany’s bulk agreements will be renewed or extended on financially equivalent terms, or at all.
(b)
Other revenue includes fees received for the carriage of certain channels included in Germany’s basic and enhanced video offerings. This channel carriage fee revenue is subject to contracts that expire or are otherwise terminable by either party on various dates ranging from 2016 through 2018. The aggregate amount of revenue related to these channel carriage contracts represented approximately 4% of Germany’s total revenue during the three months ended
September 30, 2016
. No assurance can be given that these contracts will be renewed or extended on financially equivalent terms, or at all. Also, our ability to increase the aggregate channel carriage fees that Germany receives for each channel is limited through the end of 2016 by certain commitments we made to regulators in connection with the acquisition of Unitymedia BW GmbH. In June 2017, we plan to discontinue our analog video service. We estimate that the discontinuance of this service will reduce Germany’s channel carriage revenue and operating income by approximately
€30 million
(
$34 million
) annually.
86
(c)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are attributable to increases in the average numbers of broadband internet, fixed-line telephony and enhanced video
RGU
s that were only partially offset by declines in the average number of basic video
RGU
s.
(d)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to (i) net increases due to (a) higher
ARPU
from broadband internet and video services and (b) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony services and (ii) improvements in
RGU
mix.
(e)
The
decreases
in other revenue are due to the net effect of (i) increases in installation revenue, (ii) for the nine-month comparison, a decrease due to legislative developments that have reduced the fees we can charge our late-paying customers and (iii) net decreases resulting from individually insignificant changes in other non-subscription categories.
Belgium.
The
increases
in Belgium’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$14.9 million
or
2.2%
and
$73.3 million
or
3.8%
, respectively, (ii) the impact of the
BASE Acquisition
and (iii) the impact of
FX
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
5.1
$
—
$
5.1
$
16.7
$
—
$
16.7
ARPU (b)
10.7
—
10.7
32.4
—
32.4
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
15.8
—
15.8
49.1
—
49.1
Increase in mobile subscription revenue (c)
4.0
—
4.0
10.0
—
10.0
Total increase in subscription revenue
19.8
—
19.8
59.1
—
59.1
Increase in B2B revenue (d)
—
—
—
—
4.8
4.8
Increase (decrease) in other revenue (e)
—
(4.9
)
(4.9
)
—
9.4
9.4
Total organic increase (decrease)
19.8
(4.9
)
14.9
59.1
14.2
73.3
Impact of the BASE Acquisition
98.4
65.1
163.5
251.7
166.7
418.4
Impact of FX
1.7
0.8
2.5
2.7
1.0
3.7
Total
$
119.9
$
61.0
$
180.9
$
313.5
$
181.9
$
495.4
_______________
(a)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are attributable to increases in the average numbers of fixed-line telephony, broadband internet and enhanced video
RGU
s that were only partially offset by declines in the average number of basic video
RGU
s.
(b)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to (i) higher
ARPU
from video, broadband internet and fixed-line telephony services and (ii) improvements in
RGU
mix.
(c)
The
increases
in mobile subscription revenue are due to the net effect of (i) increases in the average number of mobile subscribers and (ii) lower
ARPU
due to (a) declines of $3.3 million and $8.7 million, respectively, in mobile services revenue due to the June 2015 introduction of a
Split-contract Program
and (b) declines in usage.
(d)
The changes in
B2B
revenue are largely due to the net impact of (i) higher revenue from information technology security services and related equipment sales, (ii) lower revenue from mobile services and (iii) higher revenue from data services.
87
(e)
The
changes
in other revenue are primarily due to (i) a decrease of $4.3 million for the three-month comparison and an increase of $4.8 million for the nine-month comparison in mobile handset sales, (ii) increases in tablet sales of $0.2 million and $3.9 million, respectively, and (iii) decreases in mobile interconnect revenue due to the net effect of (a) lower
SMS
usage and (b) growth in mobile call volumes. The changes in Belgium’s mobile handset sales, which typically generate relatively low or negative margins, include the net impact of (1) a decrease of $3.7 million for the three-month comparison and an increase of $9.4 million for the nine-month comparison in non-subsidized handset sales, including a decrease of $2.6 million in the three-month comparison and an increase of $3.5 million in the nine-month comparison associated with the June 2015 introduction of a
Split-contract Program
, and (2) for the nine-month comparison, a decrease of $3.1 million in subsidized handset sales.
For information concerning certain regulatory developments that could have an adverse impact on our revenue in Belgium, see note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Switzerland/Austria
.
The
changes
in
Switzerland/Austria
’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$4.9 million
or
1.1%
and
$22.3 million
or
1.7%
, respectively, and (ii) the impact of
FX
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase (decrease) in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
(3.7
)
$
—
$
(3.7
)
$
(5.9
)
$
—
$
(5.9
)
ARPU (b)
4.6
—
4.6
7.6
—
7.6
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
0.9
—
0.9
1.7
—
1.7
Increase in mobile subscription revenue (c)
5.0
—
5.0
12.4
—
12.4
Total increase in subscription revenue
5.9
—
5.9
14.1
—
14.1
Increase in B2B revenue
—
0.4
0.4
—
2.2
2.2
Increase (decrease) in other revenue (d)
—
(1.4
)
(1.4
)
—
6.0
6.0
Total organic increase (decrease)
5.9
(1.0
)
4.9
14.1
8.2
22.3
Impact of FX
(3.6
)
0.1
(3.5
)
(24.3
)
(4.3
)
(28.6
)
Total
$
2.3
$
(0.9
)
$
1.4
$
(10.2
)
$
3.9
$
(6.3
)
_______________
(a)
The
decreases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are primarily attributable to declines in the average numbers of (i) basic video
RGU
s, (ii) enhanced video
RGU
s in Switzerland and (iii) for the three month-comparison, broadband internet
RGU
s in Switzerland, that were mostly offset by increases in the average numbers of (a) fixed-line telephony
RGU
s and (b) broadband internet
RGU
s in Austria and, for the nine-month comparison, Switzerland.
(b)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to (i) net increases due to (a) higher
ARPU
from video services, (b) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony services and (c) higher
ARPU
from broadband internet services and (ii) slight improvements in
RGU
mix, as favorable changes in Switzerland were mostly offset by adverse changes in Austria.
(c)
The
increases
in mobile subscription revenue are primarily due to increases in the average number of mobile subscribers.
(d)
The
changes
in other revenue are primarily due to the net effect of (i) increases of $1.3 million and $7.6 million, respectively, in mobile handset sales in Switzerland, which typically generate relatively low margins, including increases of $0.8 million and $2.9 million, respectively, associated with the September 2015 introduction of a
Split-contract Program
, and (ii) decreases in installation revenue in Switzerland.
88
Central and Eastern Europe.
The
increases
in Central and Eastern Europe’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$10.1 million
or
3.8%
and
$25.4 million
or
3.2%
, respectively, (ii) the impact of an acquisition and (iii) the impact of
FX
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase (decrease) in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
13.3
$
—
$
13.3
$
38.4
$
—
$
38.4
ARPU (b)
(6.5
)
—
(6.5
)
(19.5
)
—
(19.5
)
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
6.8
—
6.8
18.9
—
18.9
Increase in mobile subscription revenue
1.1
—
1.1
3.0
—
3.0
Total increase in subscription revenue
7.9
—
7.9
21.9
—
21.9
Increase (decrease) in B2B revenue
—
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
—
0.2
0.2
Increase in other revenue
—
2.4
2.4
—
3.3
3.3
Total organic increase
7.9
2.2
10.1
21.9
3.5
25.4
Impact of an acquisition
0.8
0.1
0.9
2.4
0.2
2.6
Impact of FX
(2.6
)
(0.1
)
(2.7
)
(14.1
)
(0.9
)
(15.0
)
Total
$
6.1
$
2.2
$
8.3
$
10.2
$
2.8
$
13.0
_______________
(a)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) increases in the average numbers of fixed-line telephony, broadband internet and enhanced video
RGU
s in Romania, Hungary and Poland, (ii) declines in the average numbers of basic video
RGU
s in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, (iii) increases in the average number of
DTH
RGU
s, (iv) increases in the average numbers of basic video and broadband internet
RGU
s in the Czech Republic, (v) declines in the average numbers of fixed-line telephony and enhanced video
RGU
s in the Czech Republic and (vi) increases in the average numbers of fixed-line telephony, broadband internet and, for the nine-month comparison, enhanced video
RGU
s in Slovakia.
(b)
The
decreases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to (i) net decreases due to (a) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony and broadband internet services and (b) higher
ARPU
from video services, primarily in Poland, and (ii) to a much lesser extent, adverse changes in
RGU
mix, as adverse changes in Romania were mostly offset by improvements in Hungary.
CWC
.
The increases in
CWC
’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, are entirely attributable to the May 16, 2016
CWC Acquisition
. Accordingly, we do not separately discuss the changes in the revenue for the
CWC
segment. As further discussed under
Overview
above,
CWC
is experiencing significant competition in all of its markets.
Effective April 1, 2016,
CWC
began recognizing revenue on a cash, rather than accrual, basis with respect to two of its more significant
B2B
customers due primarily to unfavorable collection experience and unfavorable macroeconomic factors. The aggregate amount billed, but not recognized, with respect to these customers during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was $4.2 million.
89
Chile.
The
changes
in Chile’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$12.2 million
or
6.0%
and
$38.0 million
or
6.0%
, respectively, and (ii) the impact of
FX
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
4.8
$
—
$
4.8
$
15.8
$
—
$
15.8
ARPU (b)
7.0
—
7.0
17.4
—
17.4
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
11.8
—
11.8
33.2
—
33.2
Increase in mobile subscription revenue (c)
1.4
—
1.4
4.7
—
4.7
Total increase in subscription revenue
13.2
—
13.2
37.9
—
37.9
Increase (decrease) in other revenue (d)
—
(1.0
)
(1.0
)
—
0.1
0.1
Total organic increase (decrease)
13.2
(1.0
)
12.2
37.9
0.1
38.0
Impact of FX
4.8
—
4.8
(37.7
)
(2.3
)
(40.0
)
Total
$
18.0
$
(1.0
)
$
17.0
$
0.2
$
(2.2
)
$
(2.0
)
_______________
(a)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are attributable to increases in the average numbers of broadband internet and enhanced video
RGU
s that were only partially offset by declines in the average numbers of fixed-line telephony and basic video
RGU
s.
(b)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to (i) net increases due to (a) higher
ARPU
from video and broadband internet services and (b) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony services and (ii) improvements in
RGU
mix. In addition, the increase in Chile’s cable subscription revenue for the nine-month comparison includes adjustments to reflect the retroactive application of a tariff on ancillary services provided directly to customers for the period from July 2013 through February 2014, including (1) a decrease in revenue of $4.2 million due to the impact of unfavorable adjustments recorded during the first and second quarters of 2016 and (2) an increase in revenue due to the impact of a $2.2 million unfavorable adjustment recorded during the first quarter of 2015.
(c)
The
increases
in mobile subscription revenue are due to (i)
increases in the average number of mobile subscribers, as increases in the average number of postpaid mobile subscribers more than offset the decreases in the average number of prepaid mobile subscribers,
and (ii)
higher
ARPU
, primarily due to higher proportions of mobile subscribers on postpaid plans, which generate higher
ARPU
than prepaid plans
.
(d)
The
changes
in other revenue include (i) increases of $1.6 million and $2.7 million, respectively, in interconnect revenue due to the impacts of unfavorable adjustments recorded during the first and third quarters of 2015 to reflect the retroactive application of a tariff reduction to June 2012 and (ii) decreases in advertising revenue.
90
Puerto Rico.
The
increases
in Puerto Rico’s revenue during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, include (i) organic
increases
of
$0.3 million
or
0.3%
and
$3.9 million
or
1.3%
, respectively, and (ii) the impact of the
Choice Acquisition
, as set forth below:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
Subscription
revenue
Non-subscription
revenue
Total
in millions
Increase (decrease) in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs (a)
$
2.4
$
—
$
2.4
$
2.5
$
—
$
2.5
ARPU (b)
(3.2
)
—
(3.2
)
(2.8
)
—
(2.8
)
Total decrease in cable subscription revenue
(0.8
)
—
(0.8
)
(0.3
)
—
(0.3
)
Increase in B2B revenue (c)
—
1.5
1.5
—
5.2
5.2
Decrease in other revenue
—
(0.4
)
(0.4
)
—
(1.0
)
(1.0
)
Total organic increase (decrease)
(0.8
)
1.1
0.3
(0.3
)
4.2
3.9
Impact of the Choice Acquisition
—
—
—
33.7
3.9
37.6
Total
$
(0.8
)
$
1.1
$
0.3
$
33.4
$
8.1
$
41.5
_______________
(a)
The
increases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in the average numbers of
RGU
s are primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) increases in the average number of fixed-line telephony
RGU
s, (ii) declines in the average number of enhanced video
RGU
s and (iii) increases in the average number of broadband internet
RGU
s.
(b)
The
decreases
in cable subscription revenue related to changes in
ARPU
are attributable to the net effect of (i) adverse changes in
RGU
mix and (ii) a net increase for the nine-month comparison and a net decrease for the three-month comparison due to (a) higher
ARPU
from broadband internet services and (b) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony and video services.
(c)
The
increases
in
B2B
revenue are largely due to higher revenue from broadband internet services.
91
Operating Expenses of our Reportable Segments
Three months ended September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
676.2
$
783.8
$
(107.6
)
(13.7
)
(0.6
)
The Netherlands
218.8
200.2
18.6
9.3
8.8
Germany
130.0
133.0
(3.0
)
(2.3
)
(2.6
)
Belgium (a)
274.1
189.4
84.7
44.7
(1.9
)
Switzerland/Austria
114.3
119.7
(5.4
)
(4.5
)
(3.7
)
Total Western Europe
1,413.4
1,426.1
(12.7
)
(0.9
)
—
Central and Eastern Europe
113.8
107.2
6.6
6.2
6.8
Central and other
29.9
27.2
2.7
9.9
8.6
Total European Operations Division
1,557.1
1,560.5
(3.4
)
(0.2
)
0.6
Corporate and other
16.0
10.0
6.0
60.0
71.4
Intersegment eliminations
(12.6
)
(4.6
)
(8.0
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
1,560.5
1,565.9
(5.4
)
(0.3
)
0.5
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
222.4
—
222.4
N.M.
N.M.
Chile
94.4
87.9
6.5
7.4
5.0
Puerto Rico (c)
42.4
45.3
(2.9
)
(6.4
)
(6.4
)
Total LiLAC Division (d)
359.2
133.2
226.0
169.7
0.4
Intersegment eliminations
(0.6
)
—
(0.6
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total LiLAC Group
358.6
133.2
225.4
169.2
0.3
Total operating expenses excluding share-based compensation expense
1,919.1
1,699.1
220.0
12.9
0.4
Share-based compensation expense
1.2
1.1
0.1
9.1
Total
$
1,920.3
$
1,700.2
$
220.1
12.9
92
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
2,151.6
$
2,253.5
$
(101.9
)
(4.5
)
3.3
The Netherlands
652.0
645.7
6.3
1.0
0.9
Germany
421.2
407.6
13.6
3.3
3.3
Belgium (a)
813.7
571.7
242.0
42.3
1.6
Switzerland/Austria
359.5
374.1
(14.6
)
(3.9
)
(1.9
)
Total Western Europe
4,398.0
4,252.6
145.4
3.4
2.2
Central and Eastern Europe
339.7
324.7
15.0
4.6
6.1
Central and other
90.6
74.9
15.7
21.0
20.3
Total European Operations Division
4,828.3
4,652.2
176.1
3.8
2.7
Corporate and other
45.7
37.5
8.2
21.9
52.1
Intersegment eliminations
(35.1
)
(20.4
)
(14.7
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
4,838.9
4,669.3
169.6
3.6
2.7
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
330.3
—
330.3
N.M.
1.0
Chile
272.5
271.3
1.2
0.4
7.1
Puerto Rico (c)
130.7
120.6
10.1
8.4
(4.8
)
Total LiLAC Division
733.5
391.9
341.6
87.2
2.2
Intersegment eliminations
(0.8
)
—
(0.8
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total LiLAC Group
732.7
391.9
340.8
87.0
2.1
Total operating expenses excluding share-based compensation expense
5,571.6
5,061.2
510.4
10.1
2.7
Share-based compensation expense
3.3
3.2
0.1
3.1
Total
$
5,574.9
$
5,064.4
$
510.5
10.1
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition operating expenses of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition operating expenses of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period excludes the pre-acquisition operating expenses of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
93
General.
Operating expenses include programming and copyright, network operations, mobile access and interconnect, customer operations, customer care, share-based compensation and other costs related to our operations. We do not include share-based compensation in the following discussion and analysis of the operating expenses of our reportable segments as share-based compensation expense is not included in the performance measures of our reportable segments. Share-based compensation expense is discussed under
Discussion and Analysis of our Consolidated Operating Results
below. Programming and copyright costs, which represent a significant portion of our operating costs, are expected to rise in future periods as a result of (i) higher costs associated with the expansion of our digital video content, including rights associated with ancillary product offerings and rights that provide for the broadcast of live sporting events, (ii) rate increases and (iii) growth in the number of our enhanced video subscribers. In addition, we are subject to inflationary pressures with respect to our labor and other costs and foreign currency exchange risk with respect to costs and expenses that are denominated in currencies other than the respective functional currencies of our operating segments (
non-functional currency expenses
). Any cost increases that we are not able to pass on to our subscribers through rate increases would result in increased pressure on our operating margins.
European Operations Division
.
The
European Operations Division
’s operating expenses (exclusive of share-based compensation expense) increased (decreased)
(
$3.4 million
) or (
0.2%
) and
$176.1 million
or
3.8%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These changes include (i) increases of $100.6 million and $261.9 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of the
BASE Acquisition
and other less significant acquisitions and (ii) decreases of $0.5 million and $8.2 million, respectively, attributable to the
U.K. Non-Cable Disposal
and another less significant disposition. Excluding the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and
FX
, the
European Operations Division
’s operating expenses
increased
$9.6 million
or
0.6%
and
$134.8 million
or
2.7%
, respectively. These increases include the following factors:
•
Increases in programming and copyright costs of $56.5 million or 10.7% and $178.6 million or 11.5%, respectively, primarily due to increases in
U.K./Ireland
and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. These increases are primarily attributable to higher costs for certain premium and/or basic content, including increases of (i) $8.7 million and $55.2 million, respectively, associated with a sports programming contract entered into in August 2015 in
U.K./Ireland
and (ii) $4.8 million and $14.4 million, respectively, associated with a new Europe-wide programming contract that was entered into in June 2016 with retroactive impact to January 1, 2016. In addition, growth in the number of enhanced video subscribers contributed to the increases in Germany and Belgium;
•
Decreases in mobile access and interconnect costs of $10.0 million or 3.7% and $38.1 million or 4.6%, respectively, primarily due to the net effect of (i) declines resulting from lower rates, primarily in
U.K./Ireland
, (ii) lower fixed-line telephony call volumes in
U.K./Ireland
and, to a lesser extent, the Netherlands, (iii) higher mobile usage in the Netherlands, Switzerland/Austria, Belgium and, for the nine-month comparison,
U.K./Ireland
, (iv) for the nine-month comparison, a $6.6 million decrease in Belgium due to the release of an accrual during the second quarter of 2016 as a result of the settlement of an operational contingency and (v) a $3.9 million increase during each period in Switzerland/Austria as a result of the favorable settlement of an operational contingency during the third quarter of 2015;
•
Decreases in personnel costs of $3.9 million or 1.8% and $21.9 million or 3.1%, respectively, due primarily to the net effect of (i) decreased staffing levels in
U.K./Ireland
, Switzerland/Austria and the Netherlands that were only partially offset by increases in Belgium, (ii) annual wage increases and (iii) decreased costs in
U.K./Ireland
resulting from higher proportions of capitalized labor costs associated with the network extension project in the
U.K.
;
•
Increases in network-related expenses of $1.3 million or 0.7% and $13.5 million or 2.5%, respectively. The increase for the three-month comparison is due primarily to the net effect of (i) an increase in network maintenance costs, primarily in Belgium and, to a lesser extent, U.K./Ireland, (ii) a net decrease of $4.4 million in Germany associated with certain reassessments of an accrual during the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, (iii) a net decrease of $4.2 million resulting from a favorable adjustment associated with the reassessment of operational contingencies in
U.K./Ireland
that we recorded during the third quarter of 2015 and (iv) lower outsourced labor costs associated with customer-facing activities in Germany. The increase for the nine-month comparison is primarily due to the net effect of (a) an $18.1 million increase resulting from nonrecurring adjustments recorded during the first and second quarters of 2015 to reflect lower local authority charges for certain elements of network infrastructure in the
U.K.
, (b) lower outsourced labor costs associated with customer-facing activities in
U.K./Ireland
, Germany, Switzerland/Austria and the Netherlands,
(c) higher network maintenance costs, as increases in Belgium and Hungary were only partially offset by a decrease in Switzerland/Austria,
(d) a $6.2 million decrease in
U.K./Ireland
associated with the favorable settlement of an operational contingency during the first quarter of 2016,
(e) a net decrease of $4.0 million in Germany associated with the aforementioned accrual reassessments and (f) a decrease of $2.5 million as a result of costs incurred during the first
94
half of 2015 associated with network harmonization activities following the acquisition of
Ziggo
. For information regarding the potential for increased charges for network infrastructure in the
U.K.
effective April 1, 2017, see note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements;
•
Decreases in bad debt and collection expenses of $4.8 million or 13.5% and $7.2 million or 7.2%, respectively. The decrease for the three-month comparison is primarily related to activity in
U.K./Ireland
and Belgium, while the decrease for the nine-month comparison mainly includes declines in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland/Austria and Hungary that were only partially offset by an increase in Poland;
•
An increase (decrease) in mobile handset costs of ($15.8 million) and $5.9 million, respectively. The lower costs for the three-month comparison are primarily due to (i) lower average cost per handset sold in
U.K./Ireland
and (ii) lower mobile handset sales volume, as a decrease in the number of handsets sold in Belgium was only partially offset by an increase in
U.K./Ireland
. The higher mobile handset costs for the nine-month comparison are primarily due to the net effect of (a) higher mobile handset sales volume in
U.K./Ireland
and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland/Austria that were only partially offset by lower handset sales in Belgium and (b) lower average cost per handset sold in
U.K./Ireland
. The lower number of handsets sold in Belgium is primarily attributable to a reduction in subsidized handset promotions;
•
Increases in outsourced labor and professional fees of $2.7 million or 3.2% and $4.5 million or 1.7%, respectively. The increase for the three-month comparison is primarily due to the net effect of (i) higher call center costs in
U.K./Ireland
and the Netherlands and (ii) a decrease in consulting costs, as lower consulting costs in Belgium were only partially offset by an increase in
U.K./Ireland
. The increase for the nine-month comparison is primarily due to (a) higher call center costs in
U.K./Ireland
that were only partially offset by lower costs in the Netherlands and (b) higher consulting costs, as an increase in consulting costs in the
European Operations Division
’s central operations was only partially offset by decreases in
U.K./Ireland
, Belgium and Switzerland/Austria. The lower call center costs in the Netherlands for the nine-month comparison includes a net decrease of $12.5 million associated with the net impact of third-party costs recorded in 2015 and 2016 related to network and product harmonization activities and certain other third-party customer care costs following the acquisition of
Ziggo
; and
•
A net decrease for the three-month comparison resulting from individually insignificant changes in other operating expense categories.
LiLAC Division
.
The
LiLAC Division
’s operating expenses (exclusive of share-based compensation expense) increased
$226.0 million
or
169.7%
and
$341.6 million
or
87.2%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include increases of $222.4 million and $343.6 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of the
CWC Acquisition
and the
Choice Acquisition
. Excluding the effects of these acquisitions and
FX
, the
LiLAC Division
’s operating expenses increased
$1.5 million
or
0.4%
and
$15.9 million
or
2.2%
, respectively. These increases include the following factors:
•
Increases in programming and copyright costs of $1.3 million or 2.1% and $11.3 million or 6.1%, respectively, primarily associated with (i) growth in the number of enhanced video subscribers in Chile, (ii) increases arising from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, after giving effect to the application of hedge accounting for certain derivative instruments that are used to mitigate a portion of our foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to Chile’s
U.S.
dollar denominated programming contracts, and (iii) increased costs for certain content. A significant portion of Chile’s programming contracts are denominated in
U.S.
dollars. During the third quarter of 2016,
CWC
began broadcasting live Premier League games in a number of its markets pursuant to a new multi-year agreement. The cost of the rights to broadcast these games, which did not contribute to the organic increases described in this paragraph, will continue to result in a significant increase to
CWC
’s programming costs;
•
An increase for the nine-month comparison in integration costs of $3.4 million that were incurred during the second quarter of 2016 to integrate
Columbus
(acquired by
CWC
on March 31, 2015) with
CWC
’s operations. These costs are excluded from the
CWC Acquisition
effect and, accordingly, are included in our organic increases;
•
Increases in mobile handset costs of $1.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively, due to higher mobile handset sales in Chile;
95
•
Decreases in mobile access and interconnect costs of $2.1 million or 14.3% and $1.8 million or 4.8%, respectively, primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) lower mobile access charges and, to a lesser extent, lower mobile usage in Chile and (ii) for the nine-month comparison, a $2.3 million increase in Chile related to a nonrecurring adjustment that was recorded in the prior-year period for a February 2015 tariff decline that was retroactive to May 2014;
•
Increases in outsourced labor and professional fees of $1.5 million or 18.7% and $1.7 million or 6.8%, respectively, primarily due to increases in call center costs in Chile;
•
Decreases in bad debt and collection expenses of $0.5 million or 4.8% and $1.6 million or 5.5%, respectively; and
•
Increases in personnel costs of $0.3 million or 2.2% and $1.0 million or 1.7%, respectively, due primarily to higher incentive compensation costs in Chile that were only partially offset by lower staffing levels in Chile.
SG&A Expenses of our Reportable Segments
Three months ended September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
209.2
$
222.5
$
(13.3
)
(6.0
)
7.9
The Netherlands
87.5
92.6
(5.1
)
(5.5
)
(5.9
)
Germany
101.4
89.6
11.8
13.2
12.9
Belgium (a)
108.2
64.8
43.4
67.0
3.6
Switzerland/Austria
51.6
48.6
3.0
6.2
7.4
Total Western Europe
557.9
518.1
39.8
7.7
5.6
Central and Eastern Europe
40.3
40.0
0.3
0.8
1.7
Central and other
45.2
46.9
(1.7
)
(3.6
)
(3.9
)
Total European Operations Division
643.4
605.0
38.4
6.3
4.7
Corporate and other
48.6
53.6
(5.0
)
(9.3
)
(4.2
)
Intersegment eliminations
0.6
—
0.6
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
692.6
658.6
34.0
5.2
4.0
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
131.6
—
131.6
N.M.
1.4
Chile
40.0
33.9
6.1
18.0
15.7
Puerto Rico (c)
6.3
12.8
(6.5
)
(50.8
)
(50.8
)
Total LiLAC Division (d)
177.9
46.7
131.2
280.9
0.4
Corporate
3.0
1.1
1.9
172.7
172.7
Total LiLAC Group
180.9
47.8
133.1
278.5
1.4
Total SG&A expenses excluding share-based compensation expense
873.5
706.4
167.1
23.7
3.5
Share-based compensation expense
61.6
123.9
(62.3
)
(50.3
)
Total
$
935.1
$
830.3
$
104.8
12.6
96
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
627.9
$
654.9
$
(27.0
)
(4.1
)
3.3
The Netherlands
270.9
299.5
(28.6
)
(9.5
)
(9.7
)
Germany
291.1
273.0
18.1
6.6
6.6
Belgium (a)
305.0
177.7
127.3
71.6
9.5
Switzerland/Austria
165.1
173.8
(8.7
)
(5.0
)
(3.3
)
Total Western Europe
1,660.0
1,578.9
81.1
5.1
1.9
Central and Eastern Europe
129.0
121.4
7.6
6.3
7.9
Central and other
147.9
136.0
11.9
8.8
8.6
Total European Operations Division
1,936.9
1,836.3
100.6
5.5
2.7
Corporate and other
164.2
156.1
8.1
5.2
6.9
Intersegment eliminations
0.2
0.5
(0.3
)
N.M.
N.M.
Total Liberty Global Group
2,101.3
1,992.9
108.4
5.4
3.1
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
208.3
—
208.3
N.M.
1.6
Chile
114.4
116.5
(2.1
)
(1.8
)
4.1
Puerto Rico (c)
32.0
32.8
(0.8
)
(2.4
)
(16.5
)
Total LiLAC Division (d)
354.7
149.3
205.4
137.6
0.4
Corporate
5.9
3.2
2.7
84.4
84.4
Total LiLAC Group
360.6
152.5
208.1
136.5
1.2
Total SG&A expenses excluding share-based compensation expense
2,461.9
2,145.4
316.5
14.8
2.8
Share-based compensation expense
203.1
249.8
(46.7
)
(18.7
)
Total
$
2,665.0
$
2,395.2
$
269.8
11.3
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition SG&A expenses of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition SG&A expenses of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period excludes the pre-acquisition SG&A expenses of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
97
General.
SG&A expenses include human resources, information technology, general services, management, finance, legal, sales and marketing, share-based compensation and other general expenses. We do not include share-based compensation in the following discussion and analysis of the SG&A expenses of our reportable segments as share-based compensation expense is not included in the performance measures of our reportable segments. Share-based compensation expense is discussed under
Discussion and Analysis of our Consolidated Operating Results
below. As noted under
Operating Expenses of our Reportable Segments
above, we are subject to inflationary pressures with respect to our labor and other costs and foreign currency exchange risk with respect to
non-functional currency expenses
.
European Operations Division
.
The
European Operations Division
’s SG&A expenses (exclusive of share-based compensation expense)
increased
$38.4 million
or
6.3%
and
$100.6 million
or
5.5%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include increases of $42.3 million and $109.9 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of the
BASE Acquisition
and other less significant acquisitions. Excluding the effects of acquisitions and
FX
, the
European Operations Division
’s SG&A expenses increased
$30.2 million
or
4.7%
and
$53.3 million
or
2.7%
, respectively.
These increases include the following factors:
•
Increases in personnel costs of $8.1 million or 3.4% and $29.5 million or 4.0%, respectively, primarily due to (i) increased staffing levels, primarily in
U.K./Ireland
, Germany, the
European Operations Division
’s central operations and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland/Austria,
that were only partially offset by decreased staffing levels in the Netherlands
and, for the three-month comparison, Belgium and (ii) annual wage increases;
•
An increase of $8.4 million for the nine-month comparison due to the impact of an accrual release recorded during the second quarter 2015 related to the resolution of a contingency associated with universal service obligations in Belgium;
•
Increases in facilities expenses of $5.8 million or 11.5% and $7.1 million or 4.7%, respectively, primarily due to higher rent and other facilities-related expenses in
U.K./Ireland
and the
European Operations Division
’s central operations;
•
Increases in outsourced labor and professional fees of $1.3 million or 3.2% and $6.7 million or 5.7%, respectively, primarily due to the net effect of (i) a decrease for the three-month comparison and an increase for the nine-month comparison in consulting costs and (ii) increased legal costs in U.K./Ireland and the European Operations Division’s central operations. The changes in consulting costs include (a) an increase (decrease) of ($2.6 million) and $2.7 million, respectively, associated with the integration of BASE with our operations in Belgium, (b) decreases of $1.5 million and $3.5 million, respectively, associated with integration costs incurred during the 2015 periods following the acquisition of Ziggo and (c) for the nine-month comparison, a net increase resulting from other individually insignificant changes;
•
An increase (decrease) in sales and marketing costs of $0.1 million or 0.1% and ($1.6 million) or (0.2%), respectively, primarily due to the net effect of (i) higher third-party sales commissions, as increases in Germany and
U.K./Ireland
more than offset declines in the Netherlands, (ii) lower costs associated with advertising campaigns, (iii) for the nine-month comparison, lower third-party costs in the Netherlands of $4.0 million related to the impact of rebranding costs incurred during the 2015 period following the acquisition of Ziggo and (iv) a net increase of $0.9 million in each period in Germany due to the impact of accrual releases recorded in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015 associated with the reassessment of an operational contingency, including lower costs of $2.7 million and $3.6 million during the 2016 and 2015 periods, respectively. For the three-month comparison, the lower costs associated with advertising campaigns are primarily attributable to lower costs in Belgium that were only partially offset by higher costs in Switzerland/Austria. For the nine-month comparison, lower costs associated with advertising campaigns are due primarily to lower costs in
U.K./Ireland
, Switzerland/Austria and the Netherlands that were only partially offset by higher costs in Belgium; and
•
Net increases resulting from individually insignificant changes in other SG&A expense categories.
98
LiLAC Division
.
The
LiLAC Division
’s SG&A expenses (exclusive of share-based compensation expense) increased
$131.2 million
or
280.9%
and
$205.4 million
or
137.6%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include increases of
$129.8 million and $210.6 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of the
CWC Acquisition
and the
Choice Acquisition
. Excluding the effects of these acquisitions and
FX
, the
LiLAC Division
’s SG&A expenses increased
$0.6 million
or
0.4%
and
$1.6 million
or
0.4%
, respectively. These increases include the following factors:
•
Decreases in outsourced labor and professional fees of $5.0 million or 16.2% and $4.8 million or 4.2%, respectively, primarily due to a decrease of $5.1 million in each period resulting from the reversal by Liberty Puerto Rico of its previously-recorded provision and related indemnification asset relating to the
PRTC Claim
that was recorded in connection with the acquisition of
OneLink
, as further described in note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements;
•
Increases in integration costs of $1.8 million and $3.2 million, respectively, incurred during the second and third quarters of 2016 to integrate
Columbus
(acquired by
CWC
on March 31, 2015) with
CWC
’s operations and
CWC
’s operations with
Liberty Global
and the
LiLAC Division
.
These costs are excluded from the
CWC Acquisition
effect and, accordingly, are included in our organic increases;
•
Increases in personnel costs of $1.5 million or 9.4% and $2.6 million or 5.5%, respectively, primarily due to higher incentive compensation costs and increased wages in Chile;
•
Decreases in facilities-related costs of $0.3 million or 5.6% and $1.3 million or 9.3%, respectively, primarily due to lower facilities maintenance in Chile; and
•
Net increases from individually insignificant changes in other SG&A expense categories.
99
Adjusted OIBDA
of our Reportable Segments
Adjusted OIBDA
is the primary measure used by our chief operating decision maker to evaluate segment operating performance. For the definition of this performance measure and for a reconciliation of total segment
Adjusted OIBDA
to our earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, see note
14
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Three months ended September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
696.0
$
777.0
$
(81.0
)
(10.4
)
5.3
The Netherlands
375.5
388.6
(13.1
)
(3.4
)
(3.7
)
Germany
408.0
380.9
27.1
7.1
6.7
Belgium (a)
311.1
258.3
52.8
20.4
5.7
Switzerland/Austria
273.4
269.6
3.8
1.4
2.1
Total Western Europe
2,064.0
2,074.4
(10.4
)
(0.5
)
3.5
Central and Eastern Europe
120.4
119.0
1.4
1.2
1.7
Central and other
(77.0
)
(74.0
)
(3.0
)
(4.1
)
(2.2
)
Total European Operations Division
2,107.4
2,119.4
(12.0
)
(0.6
)
3.5
Corporate and other
(47.4
)
(55.3
)
7.9
14.3
11.3
Total Liberty Global Group
2,060.0
2,064.1
(4.1
)
(0.2
)
3.9
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
214.5
—
214.5
N.M.
(0.8
)
Chile
86.9
82.5
4.4
5.3
3.0
Puerto Rico (c)
56.1
46.4
9.7
20.9
20.9
Total LiLAC Division (d)
357.5
128.9
228.6
177.3
3.0
Corporate
(2.9
)
(1.1
)
(1.8
)
(163.6
)
(163.6
)
Total LiLAC Group
354.6
127.8
226.8
177.5
2.5
Total
$
2,414.6
$
2,191.9
$
222.7
10.2
3.7
100
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
$
2,206.1
$
2,345.9
$
(139.8
)
(6.0
)
3.4
The Netherlands
1,107.5
1,127.5
(20.0
)
(1.8
)
(1.8
)
Germany
1,187.7
1,111.8
75.9
6.8
6.7
Belgium (a)
892.2
766.1
126.1
16.5
3.9
Switzerland/Austria
795.1
778.1
17.0
2.2
4.5
Total Western Europe
6,188.6
6,129.4
59.2
1.0
3.2
Central and Eastern Europe
345.9
355.5
(9.6
)
(2.7
)
(1.1
)
Central and other
(243.7
)
(214.6
)
(29.1
)
(13.6
)
(12.8
)
Total European Operations Division
6,290.8
6,270.3
20.5
0.3
2.7
Corporate and other
(162.6
)
(159.7
)
(2.9
)
(1.8
)
(1.1
)
Total Liberty Global Group
6,128.2
6,110.6
17.6
0.3
2.7
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC (b)
315.5
—
315.5
N.M.
(2.0
)
Chile
245.0
246.1
(1.1
)
(0.4
)
5.7
Puerto Rico (c)
152.9
120.7
32.2
26.7
12.4
Total LiLAC Division (d)
713.4
366.8
346.6
94.5
3.5
Corporate
(5.8
)
(3.2
)
(2.6
)
(81.3
)
(81.3
)
Total LiLAC Group
707.6
363.6
344.0
94.6
3.1
Total
$
6,835.8
$
6,474.2
$
361.6
5.6
2.7
_______________
(a)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods include the post-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
BASE
, which was acquired on February 11, 2016.
(b)
The amounts presented for the 2016 periods reflect the post-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
CWC
, which was acquired on May 16, 2016.
(c)
The amount presented for the 2015 nine-month period excludes the pre-acquisition
Adjusted OIBDA
of
Choice
, which was acquired on
June 3, 2015
.
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
101
Adjusted OIBDA
Margin
The following table sets forth the
Adjusted OIBDA
margins (
Adjusted OIBDA
divided by revenue) of each of our reportable segments:
Three months ended September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
%
Liberty Global Group:
European Operations Division:
U.K./Ireland
44.0
43.6
44.2
44.6
The Netherlands
55.1
57.0
54.5
54.4
Germany
63.8
63.1
62.5
62.0
Belgium
44.9
50.4
44.4
50.6
Switzerland/Austria
62.2
61.6
60.2
58.7
Total Western Europe
51.1
51.6
50.5
51.2
Central and Eastern Europe
43.9
44.7
42.5
44.3
Total European Operations Division
48.9
49.5
48.2
49.1
LiLAC Group:
LiLAC Division:
CWC
37.7
N.M.
36.9
N.M.
Chile
39.3
40.4
38.8
38.8
Puerto Rico
53.5
44.4
48.4
44.0
Total LiLAC Division
40.0
41.7
39.6
40.4
_______________
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
In addition to organic changes in the revenue, operating expenses and SG&A expenses of our reportable segments, the
Adjusted OIBDA
margins presented above include the impact of acquisitions, the most significant of which are the
CWC Acquisition
, the
BASE Acquisition
and the
Choice Acquisition
. In this regard, the
Adjusted OIBDA
margins of Belgium during 2016 were adversely impacted by the inclusion of
BASE
, while the 2016
Adjusted OIBDA
margins of our Puerto Rico operation were positively impacted by realized synergies with respect to the
Choice Acquisition
.
For discussion of the factors contributing to other changes in the
Adjusted OIBDA
margins of our reportable segments, see the above analyses of the revenue, operating expenses and SG&A expenses of our reportable segments.
102
Discussion and Analysis of our Consolidated Operating Results
General
For more detailed explanations of the changes in our revenue, operating expenses and SG&A expenses, including the impacts of nonrecurring and nonoperational items, see the
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
above.
Revenue
Our revenue by major category is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Subscription revenue (a):
Video
$
1,632.1
$
1,587.3
$
44.8
2.8
3.6
Broadband internet
1,338.0
1,287.5
50.5
3.9
5.4
Fixed-line telephony
757.8
792.5
(34.7
)
(4.4
)
(1.9
)
Cable subscription revenue
3,727.9
3,667.3
60.6
1.7
3.1
Mobile (b)
513.8
270.1
243.7
90.2
(1.2
)
Total subscription revenue
4,241.7
3,937.4
304.3
7.7
2.5
B2B revenue (c)
597.9
393.5
204.4
51.9
1.6
Other revenue (b) (d)
367.6
266.5
101.1
37.9
2.3
Total
$
5,207.2
$
4,597.4
$
609.8
13.3
2.4
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Subscription revenue (a):
Video
$
4,813.8
$
4,798.1
$
15.7
0.3
1.6
Broadband internet
3,980.7
3,793.1
187.6
4.9
6.3
Fixed-line telephony
2,291.3
2,387.5
(96.2
)
(4.0
)
(1.8
)
Cable subscription revenue
11,085.8
10,978.7
107.1
1.0
2.5
Mobile (b)
1,226.1
783.0
443.1
56.6
(1.2
)
Total subscription revenue
12,311.9
11,761.7
550.2
4.7
2.1
B2B revenue (c)
1,504.6
1,154.7
349.9
30.3
3.0
Other revenue (b) (d)
1,052.8
764.4
288.4
37.7
9.7
Total
$
14,869.3
$
13,680.8
$
1,188.5
8.7
2.7
_______________
(a)
Subscription revenue includes amounts received from subscribers for ongoing services, excluding installation fees and late fees. Subscription revenue from subscribers who purchase bundled services at a discounted rate is generally allocated proportionally to each service based on the standalone price for each individual service. As a result, changes in the standalone pricing of our cable and mobile products or the composition of bundles can contribute to changes in our product revenue categories from period to period.
(b)
Mobile subscription revenue excludes mobile interconnect revenue of
$78.4 million
and
$52.6 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$232.6 million
and
$160.1 million
during the
nine months
103
ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. Mobile interconnect revenue and revenue from mobile handset sales are included in other revenue.
(c)
B2B
revenue includes revenue from business broadband internet, video, voice, mobile and data services offered to medium to large enterprises and, on a wholesale basis, to other operators. We also provide services to certain
SOHO
subscribers.
SOHO
subscribers pay a premium price to receive expanded service levels along with video, broadband internet, fixed-line telephony or mobile services that are the same or similar to the mass marketed products offered to our residential subscribers. Revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, which is included in subscription revenue, aggregated
$132.7 million
and
$78.7 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$356.7 million
and
$213.5 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. On an organic basis, our total
B2B
revenue, including revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, increased 7.1% and 8.7% for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding prior-year periods. A portion of the increase in our
SOHO
revenue is attributable to the conversion of our residential subscribers to
SOHO
subscribers.
(d)
Other revenue includes, among other items,
mobile handset sales, interconnect, channel carriage fee and installation revenue
.
Total revenue.
Our consolidated revenue
increased
$609.8 million
and
$1,188.5 million
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include (i) increases of $745.2 million and $1,349.1 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of acquisitions and (ii) decreases of $5.1 million and $26.4 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of dispositions. Excluding the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and
FX
, our consolidated revenue
increased
$128.3 million
or
2.4%
and
$408.0 million
or
2.7%
, respectively.
Subscription revenue.
The details of the changes in our consolidated subscription revenue for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, are as follows:
Three-month period
Nine-month period
in millions
Increase in cable subscription revenue due to change in:
Average number of RGUs
$
72.7
$
200.6
ARPU
43.1
82.1
Total increase in cable subscription revenue
115.8
282.7
Decrease in mobile subscription revenue
(6.6
)
(16.0
)
Total organic increase in subscription revenue
109.2
266.7
Impact of acquisitions
402.9
729.8
Impact of a disposal
(3.5
)
(8.6
)
Impact of FX
(204.3
)
(437.7
)
Total
$
304.3
$
550.2
Excluding the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and
FX
, our consolidated cable subscription revenue increased
$115.8 million
or
3.1%
and
$282.7 million
or
2.5%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases are attributable to the net effect of (i) increases from broadband internet services of
$72.8 million
or
5.4%
and
$246.6 million
or
6.3%
, respectively, attributable to increases in the average number of broadband internet
RGU
s and higher
ARPU
from broadband internet services, (ii) increases from video services of
$58.7 million
or
3.6%
and
$78.9 million
or
1.6%
, respectively, attributable to the net effect of (a) higher
ARPU
from video services and (b) declines in the average number of video
RGU
s and (iii) decreases from fixed-line telephony services of
$15.7 million
or
1.9%
and
$42.8 million
or
1.8%
, respectively, attributable to the net effect of (1) lower
ARPU
from fixed-line telephony services and (2) increases in the average number of fixed-line telephony
RGU
s.
Excluding the effects of acquisitions and
FX
, our consolidated mobile subscription revenue decreased
$6.6 million
or
1.2%
and
$16.0 million
or
1.2%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These decreases are largely due to the net effect of (i) declines in the U.K., largely associated with the continued growth of the U.K.
Split-contract Program
, and (ii) increases in Belgium and Switzerland.
104
B2B
revenue.
Excluding the effects of acquisitions and
FX
, our consolidated
B2B
revenue increased
$10.3 million
or
1.6%
and
$45.7 million
or
3.0%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases are primarily due to increases in the
U.K.
, Belgium and Puerto Rico.
Other revenue.
Excluding the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and
FX
, our consolidated other revenue increased
$8.8 million
or
2.3%
and
$95.6 million
or
9.7%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases are largely attributable to increases in mobile handset sales, mainly associated with the continued growth of
Split-contract Program
s, primarily in the U.K.
For additional information concerning the changes in our subscription,
B2B
and other revenue, see
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
above. For information regarding the competitive environment in certain of our markets, see
Overview
and
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
above.
Supplemental revenue information
Our revenue by major category for the
Liberty Global Group
is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
Subscription revenue:
Video
$
1,449.2
$
1,454.5
$
(5.3
)
(0.4
)
3.8
Broadband internet
1,171.4
1,182.6
(11.2
)
(0.9
)
5.3
Fixed-line telephony
686.6
752.3
(65.7
)
(8.7
)
(1.7
)
Cable subscription revenue
3,307.2
3,389.4
(82.2
)
(2.4
)
3.1
Mobile (a)
326.6
260.9
65.7
25.2
(2.2
)
Total subscription revenue
3,633.8
3,650.3
(16.5
)
(0.5
)
2.6
B2B revenue (b)
377.9
390.9
(13.0
)
(3.3
)
2.1
Other revenue
301.4
247.4
54.0
21.8
3.5
Total Liberty Global Group
$
4,313.1
$
4,288.6
$
24.5
0.6
2.6
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
Subscription revenue:
Video
$
4,343.2
$
4,403.1
$
(59.9
)
(1.4
)
1.5
Broadband internet
3,569.8
3,494.1
75.7
2.2
6.1
Fixed-line telephony
2,132.9
2,261.7
(128.8
)
(5.7
)
(1.4
)
Cable subscription revenue
10,045.9
10,158.9
(113.0
)
(1.1
)
2.5
Mobile (a)
943.9
756.5
187.4
24.8
(2.1
)
Total subscription revenue
10,989.8
10,915.4
74.4
0.7
2.1
B2B revenue (b)
1,161.0
1,149.0
12.0
1.0
3.4
Other revenue
917.6
708.4
209.2
29.5
11.4
Total Liberty Global Group
$
13,068.4
$
12,772.8
$
295.6
2.3
2.8
105
_______________
(a)
Mobile subscription revenue excludes mobile interconnect revenue of
$70.7 million
and
$51.7 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$211.4 million
and
$157.4 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. Mobile interconnect revenue and revenue from mobile handset sales are included in other revenue.
(b)
Revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, which is included in subscription revenue, aggregated
$123.5 million
and
$72.8 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$334.6 million
and
$198.1 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. On an organic basis, the
Liberty Global Group
’s total
B2B
revenue, including revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, increased 9.9% and 10.5% for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding prior-year periods.
Our revenue by major category for the
LiLAC Group
is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Increase
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
LiLAC Group:
Subscription revenue:
Video
$
182.9
$
132.8
$
50.1
37.7
1.9
Broadband internet
166.6
104.9
61.7
58.8
6.7
Fixed-line telephony
71.2
40.2
31.0
77.1
(4.0
)
Cable subscription revenue
420.7
277.9
142.8
51.4
2.7
Mobile (a)
187.2
9.2
178.0
N.M.
0.8
Total subscription revenue
607.9
287.1
320.8
111.7
2.1
B2B revenue (b)
220.0
2.6
217.4
N.M.
0.7
Other revenue
66.2
19.1
47.1
246.6
(2.7
)
Total LiLAC Group
$
894.1
$
308.8
$
585.3
189.5
1.4
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase
Organic increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
%
in millions
LiLAC Group:
Subscription revenue:
Video
$
470.6
$
395.0
$
75.6
19.1
2.6
Broadband internet
410.9
299.0
111.9
37.4
8.1
Fixed-line telephony
158.4
125.8
32.6
25.9
(6.6
)
Cable subscription revenue
1,039.9
819.8
220.1
26.8
3.2
Mobile (a)
282.2
26.5
255.7
N.M.
1.7
Total subscription revenue
1,322.1
846.3
475.8
56.2
2.8
B2B revenue (b)
343.6
5.7
337.9
N.M.
1.5
Other revenue
135.2
56.0
79.2
141.4
(1.1
)
Total LiLAC Group
$
1,800.9
$
908.0
$
892.9
98.3
2.3
_______________
(a)
Mobile subscription revenue excludes mobile interconnect revenue of
$7.7 million
and
$0.9 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$21.2 million
and
$2.7 million
during the
nine months
106
ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. Mobile interconnect revenue and revenue from mobile handset sales are included in other revenue.
(b)
Revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, which is included in subscription revenue, aggregated
$9.2 million
and
$5.9 million
during the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively, and
$22.1 million
and
$15.4 million
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. On an organic basis, the
LiLAC Group
’s total
B2B
revenue, including revenue from
SOHO
subscribers, increased 0.9% and 1.6% for the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding prior-year periods.
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
Operating expenses
Our operating expenses increased
$220.1 million
and
$510.5 million
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include (i) increases of $323.0 million and $605.4 million, respectively, attributable to the impact of the
CWC Acquisition
, the
BASE Acquisition
, the
Choice Acquisition
and other less significant acquisitions and (ii)
decreases of
$1.2 million and $17.3 million, respectively, attributable to the
U.K. Non-Cable Disposal
and other less significant dispositions.
Our operating expenses include share-based compensation expense, which remained relatively unchanged during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
. For additional information, see the discussion under
Share-based compensation expense
below. Excluding the effects of acquisitions, dispositions,
FX
and share-based compensation expense, our operating expenses increased
$9.0 million
or
0.4%
and
$150.0 million
or
2.7%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases are primarily attributable to the net effect of (a) increases in programming and copyright costs, (b) decreases in mobile access and interconnect costs, (c) decreases in personnel costs, (d) increases in network-related expenses and (e) decreases in bad debt and collection expenses.
Certain of these changes include (1) decreases in integration-related costs in the Netherlands that aggregate to $0.1 million and $15.0 million, respectively, and (2) an increase in integration-related costs of $3.4 million during the nine-month comparison that were incurred by
CWC
in connection with the integration of
Columbus
with
CWC
’s operations. For additional information regarding the changes in our operating expenses, see
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments — Operating Expenses of our Reportable Segments
above.
SG&A expenses
Our SG&A expenses
increased
$104.8 million
and
$269.8 million
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases include increases of $172.1 million and $320.6 million, respectively,
attributable to the impact of the
CWC Acquisition
, the
BASE Acquisition
, the
Choice Acquisition
and other less significant acquisitions. Our SG&A expenses include share-based compensation expense, which decreased
$62.3 million
and
$46.7 million
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively. For additional information, see the discussion under
Share-based compensation expense
below. Excluding the effects of acquisitions,
FX
and share-based compensation expense, our SG&A expenses increased
$30.5 million
or
3.5%
and
$68.5 million
or
2.8%
during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These increases are primarily attributable to (i) increases in personnel costs, (ii) for the nine-month comparison, increases in outsourced labor and professional fees and (iii) increases in facilities expenses. Certain of these changes include (a) decreases in
integration-related costs in the Netherlands that aggregate to $1.3 million and $9.1 million, respectively, (b) increases (decreases) in integration-related costs in Belgium that aggregate to ($2.3 million) and $4.3 million, respectively, and (c) increases in integration-related costs associated with
CWC
that aggregate to $3.6 million and $5.9 million, respectively, including $1.8 million and $3.2 million, respectively, incurred by
CWC
in connection with the integration of
Columbus
with
CWC
’s operations and
CWC
’s operations with
Liberty Global
and the
LiLAC Division
. For additional information regarding the changes in our SG&A expenses, see
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments — SG&A Expenses of our Reportable Segments
above
.
107
Share-based compensation expense (included in operating and SG&A expenses)
Our share-based compensation expense primarily relates to the share-based incentive awards issued by
Liberty Global
to its employees and employees of its subsidiaries. A summary of the aggregate share-based compensation expense that is included in our operating and SG&A expenses is set forth below:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global:
Performance-based incentive awards (a)
$
28.5
$
55.4
$
105.7
$
126.0
Other share-based incentive awards
28.6
66.1
86.8
116.6
Total Liberty Global (b)
57.1
121.5
192.5
242.6
Telenet share-based incentive awards
3.6
2.1
8.2
7.7
Other
2.1
1.4
5.7
2.7
Total
$
62.8
$
125.0
$
206.4
$
253.0
Included in:
Operating expense:
Liberty Global Group
$
0.8
$
0.9
$
2.4
$
2.7
LiLAC Group
0.4
0.2
0.9
0.5
Total operating expense
1.2
1.1
3.3
3.2
SG&A expense:
Liberty Global Group
56.3
122.4
193.3
248.1
LiLAC Group
5.3
1.5
9.8
1.7
Total SG&A expense
61.6
123.9
203.1
249.8
Total
$
62.8
$
125.0
$
206.4
$
253.0
_______________
(a)
Includes share-based compensation expense related to (i)
PSU
s, including the
2016 PSUs
, (ii) for the nine-month period,
Challenge Performance Awards
and (iii)
PGUs
.
(b)
In connection with the
LiLAC Transaction
, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved the
2015 Award Modifications
in accordance with the underlying share-based incentive plans. As a result of the
2015 Award Modifications
, the Black-Scholes fair values of our options,
SAR
s and
PSAR
s increased, resulting in incremental share-based compensation expense of $99.3 million, of which $63.5 million was recognized during the third quarter of 2015 related to awards that vested on or prior to September 30, 2015.
For additional information regarding our share-based compensation, see note
10
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
108
Depreciation and amortization expense
The details of our depreciation and amortization expense are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
1,216.2
$
1,404.1
$
(187.9
)
(13.4
)
LiLAC Group
200.7
54.3
146.4
269.6
Total
$
1,416.9
$
1,458.4
$
(41.5
)
(2.8
)
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
4,026.3
$
4,226.8
$
(200.5
)
(4.7
)
LiLAC Group
379.1
160.8
218.3
135.8
Total
$
4,405.4
$
4,387.6
$
17.8
0.4
Excluding the effects of
FX
, depreciation and amortization expense increased $50.4 million or 3.5% and $193.7 million or 4.4% during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
. These
increases are primarily due to the net effect of (i)
increases associated with property and equipment additions related to the installation of customer premises equipment, the expansion and upgrade of our networks and other capital initiatives, (ii) decreases associated with certain assets becoming fully depreciated, primarily in
U.K./Ireland
, the Netherlands and, to a lesser extent,
Switzerland/Austria
, Chile, Belgium and Germany, (iii) increases associated with acquisitions, primarily as a result of the
CWC Acquisition
and
BASE Acquisition
, and (iv) decreases in the Netherlands as a result of the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
effective August 3, 2016. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net
The details of our impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net, are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
25.0
$
60.2
$
113.4
$
92.0
LiLAC Group
7.2
2.8
133.5
13.7
Total
$
32.2
$
63.0
$
246.9
$
105.7
The total
2016
amounts include (i) direct acquisition costs of
$8.9 million
and
$142.3 million
, respectively, largely related to the
CWC Acquisition
and, to a lesser extent, the
BASE Acquisition
and the
Dutch JV
, and (ii) restructuring charges of
$27.4 million
and
$111.7 million
, respectively, including
$26.8 million
and
$105.5 million
, respectively, of employee severance and termination costs related to certain reorganization activities, primarily in Germany,
U.K./Ireland
, the
European Operations Division
’s central operations, Chile and, for the nine-month period, the Netherlands.
The total for the
2015
three-month period includes (i) a $23.1 million loss on the divestiture of our
Film1
channels in connection with the acquisition of
Ziggo
, (ii) restructuring charges of $18.8 million, including $15.6 million of employee severance and termination costs related to certain reorganization activities, primarily in the Netherlands and
U.K./Ireland
, and
109
(iii) direct acquisition costs of $16.9 million, a portion of which was incurred in connection with our acquisition of additional shares of
ITV
and the
BASE Acquisition
.
The total for the
2015
nine-month period includes (i) restructuring charges of $50.1 million, including $42.3 million of employee severance and termination costs related to certain reorganization activities, primarily in U.K./Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland/Austria and Puerto Rico, (ii) direct acquisition costs of $31.6 million, largely related to the
BASE Acquisition
, the
Choice Acquisition
, the acquisition of
Ziggo
and our acquisition of additional shares of
ITV
, (iii) impairment charges of $20.7 million, primarily in U.K./Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland/Austria, and (iv) a loss from the disposition of assets of $3.3 million, including a $23.1 million loss on the divestiture of our
Film1
channels and a $12.0 million gain in U.K./Ireland.
For information regarding the
CWC Acquisition
, the
BASE Acquisition
and the
Dutch JV
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
We expect to continue to record significant restructuring charges over the next 12 months, due largely to our ongoing company-wide effort to optimize our operating model. In addition, we expect to undertake further restructuring programs in certain of our operating segments, including programs in connection with the integration of acquired entities.
For additional information regarding our restructuring charges, see note
11
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
If, among other factors, (i) our equity values were to decline significantly or (ii) the adverse impacts of economic, competitive, regulatory or other factors were to cause our results of operations or cash flows to be worse than anticipated, we could conclude in future periods that impairment charges are required in order to reduce the carrying values of our goodwill and, to a lesser extent, other long-lived assets. Any such impairment charges could be significant.
Interest expense
The details of our interest expense are as follows:
Three months ended September 30,
Increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
569.3
$
579.0
$
(9.7
)
(1.7
)
LiLAC Group
95.3
38.9
56.4
145.0
Inter-group eliminations
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
—
N.M.
Total
$
664.4
$
617.7
$
46.7
7.6
Nine months ended
September 30,
Increase (decrease)
2016
2015
$
%
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
1,715.3
$
1,717.2
$
(1.9
)
(0.1
)
LiLAC Group
225.8
117.7
108.1
91.8
Inter-group eliminations
(0.3
)
(0.5
)
0.2
N.M.
Total
$
1,940.8
$
1,834.4
$
106.4
5.8
_______________
N.M. — Not Meaningful.
110
Excluding the effects of
FX
, interest expense increased $23.9 million or 3.9% and $59.1 million or 3.2%, respectively.
These increases are primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) higher average outstanding debt balances, largely due to debt incurred in connection with the
CWC Acquisition
and the
BASE Acquisition
, and (ii)
lower weighted average interest rates related to the completion of certain financing transactions that resulted in extended maturities and decreases to certain of our interest rates.
For additional information regarding our outstanding indebtedness, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
It is possible that the interest rates on (i) any new borrowings could be higher than the current interest rates on our existing indebtedness and (ii) our variable-rate indebtedness could increase in future periods. As further discussed in note
4
to our condensed consolidated financial statements and under
Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk
below, we use derivative instruments to manage our interest rate risks.
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net
Our realized and unrealized gains or losses on derivative instruments include (i) unrealized changes in the fair values of our derivative instruments that are non-cash in nature until such time as the derivative contracts are fully or partially settled and (ii) realized gains or losses upon the full or partial settlement of the derivative contracts. The details of our realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net, are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts:
Liberty Global Group
$
(300.1
)
$
392.4
$
(235.7
)
$
507.0
LiLAC Group
(52.4
)
139.9
(233.6
)
217.5
Total cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts (a)
(352.5
)
532.3
(469.3
)
724.5
Equity-related derivative instruments – Liberty Global Group:
ITV Collar
(46.8
)
103.1
466.9
(55.8
)
Sumitomo Collar
(38.8
)
92.0
96.2
20.1
Lionsgate Forward
(0.1
)
—
21.9
—
Other
0.7
(1.3
)
1.6
(0.2
)
Total equity-related derivative instruments (b)
(85.0
)
193.8
586.6
(35.9
)
Foreign currency forward contracts:
Liberty Global Group
2.6
10.8
0.7
(16.6
)
LiLAC Group
(1.4
)
5.3
(10.3
)
8.3
Total foreign currency forward contracts
1.2
16.1
(9.6
)
(8.3
)
Other – Liberty Global Group
(0.1
)
(0.2
)
(0.8
)
0.5
Total Liberty Global Group
(382.6
)
596.8
350.8
455.0
Total LiLAC Group
(53.8
)
145.2
(243.9
)
225.8
Total
$
(436.4
)
$
742.0
$
106.9
$
680.8
_______________
(a)
The loss
during the
2016
three-month period
is primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) losses associated with an increase in the value of the euro relative to the
U.S.
dollar, (ii) gains associated with a decrease in the value of the British pound sterling relative to the
U.S.
dollar, (iii) losses associated with increases in market interest rates in the
U.S.
dollar market and (iv) losses associated with decreases in market interest rates in the euro, the British pound sterling and the Chilean peso markets. The loss during the
2016
nine-month period
is primarily attributable to the net effect of (a) losses associated with decreases in market interest rates in the British pound sterling, euro and Chilean peso markets, (b) gains associated with a decrease in the value of the British pound sterling relative to the
U.S.
dollar, (c) losses associated with
111
increases in the values of the euro, the Chilean peso and the Swiss franc relative to the
U.S.
dollar, and (d) gains associated with decreases in market interest rates in the
U.S.
dollar market. In addition, the gain (loss) during the
2016
periods include net gains of
$80.4 million
and
$87.5 million
, respectively, resulting from changes in our credit risk valuation adjustments. The gain during the
2015
three-month period
is primarily attributable to the net effect of (1) gains associated with decreases in the values of the British pound sterling and Chilean peso relative to the
U.S.
dollar, (2) gains associated with decreases in market interest rates in the
U.S.
dollar market, (3) losses associated with decreases in market interest rates in the euro and British pound sterling markets and (4) gains associated with a decrease in the value of the Swiss franc relative to the euro. The gain during the
2015
nine-month period
is primarily attributable to the net effect of (I) gains associated with decreases in the values of the euro, British pound sterling and Chilean peso relative to the
U.S.
dollar, (II) gains associated with decreases in market interest rates in the
U.S.
dollar market, (III) losses associated with an increase in the value of the Swiss franc relative to the euro, (IV) gains associated with increases in market interest rates in the Chilean peso market and (V) losses associated with decreases in market interest rates in the Swiss franc market. In addition, the gains during the
2015
periods include a net gain (loss) of (
$29.9 million
) and
$30.4 million
, respectively, resulting from changes in our credit risk valuation adjustments.
(b)
For information concerning the factors that impact the valuations of our equity-related derivative instruments, see note
5
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
For additional information concerning our derivative instruments, see notes
4
and
5
to our condensed consolidated financial statements and
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk
below.
112
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net
Our foreign currency transaction gains or losses primarily result from the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the underlying functional currency of the applicable entity. Unrealized foreign currency transaction gains or losses are computed based on period-end exchange rates and are non-cash in nature until such time as the amounts are settled. The details of our foreign currency transaction gains (losses), net, are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group:
U.S. dollar denominated debt issued by British pound sterling functional currency entities
$
(128.0
)
$
(176.4
)
$
(698.5
)
$
(94.8
)
Intercompany payables and receivables denominated in a currency other than the entity’s functional currency (a)
134.6
56.0
578.3
(79.4
)
British pound sterling denominated debt issued by a U.S. dollar functional currency entity
31.4
54.3
185.2
48.0
U.S. dollar denominated debt issued by euro functional currency entities
92.7
32.5
184.0
(553.2
)
Yen denominated debt issued by a U.S. dollar functional currency entity
(12.7
)
(15.9
)
(131.2
)
(1.4
)
Euro denominated debt issued by British pound sterling functional currency entities
(18.8
)
(21.2
)
(82.3
)
6.5
Cash and restricted cash denominated in a currency other than the entity’s functional currency
(9.4
)
(8.8
)
(23.8
)
(24.0
)
Other
(4.2
)
(11.4
)
(10.2
)
(14.1
)
Total Liberty Global Group
85.6
(90.9
)
1.5
(712.4
)
LiLAC Group:
U.S. dollar denominated debt issued by a Chilean peso functional currency entity
5.4
(121.7
)
110.5
(193.0
)
British pound sterling denominated debt issued by a U.S. dollar functional currency entity
9.2
—
21.9
—
Other
(7.9
)
(3.6
)
(0.7
)
(6.0
)
Total LiLAC Group
6.7
(125.3
)
131.7
(199.0
)
Total
$
92.3
$
(216.2
)
$
133.2
$
(911.4
)
_______________
(a)
Amounts primarily relate to (i) loans between certain of our non-operating and operating subsidiaries in Europe, which generally are denominated in the currency of the applicable operating subsidiary, and (ii) loans between certain of our non-operating subsidiaries in the
U.S.
and Europe.
113
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, net
Our realized and unrealized gains or losses due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt include unrealized gains or losses associated with changes in fair values that are non-cash in nature until such time as these gains or losses are realized through cash transactions. For additional information regarding our fair value measurements, see note
5
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. All of our investments and debt that we account for using the fair value method are attributed to the
Liberty Global Group
. The details of our realized and unrealized gains (losses) due to changes in fair values of certain investments and debt, net, are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Investments:
ITV
$
17.5
$
(179.5
)
$
(656.4
)
$
25.0
Lionsgate
(1.2
)
—
(62.0
)
—
Sumitomo
52.2
(92.9
)
34.3
(33.6
)
Other, net (a)
21.2
(3.7
)
116.2
(5.3
)
Debt
(15.9
)
—
(2.9
)
—
Total
$
73.8
$
(276.1
)
$
(570.8
)
$
(13.9
)
_______________
(a)
The amounts for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 include gains of $5.6 million and $84.4 million, respectively, related to an investment that was sold during the third quarter of 2016.
Losses on debt modification and extinguishment, net
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(64.8
)
$
(34.3
)
$
(90.2
)
$
(382.6
)
LiLAC Group
—
—
1.5
—
Total
$
(64.8
)
$
(34.3
)
$
(88.7
)
$
(382.6
)
The net loss during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
is attributable to (i) the payment of redemption premium of
$66.2 million
(including
$34.2 million
during the third quarter), (ii) the write-off of net unamortized premium of
$2.6 million
(including
$16.4 million
of unamortized discount during the third quarter), (iii) the write-off of deferred financing costs of
$22.9 million
(including
$14.2 million
during the third quarter) and (iv) a loss related to the settlement of portions of the
Sumitomo Collar
and the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
of
$2.2 million
.
The loss during the
nine months ended September 30, 2015
is attributable to (i) the payment of redemption premium of
$308.3 million
(including
$34.3 million
during the third quarter), (ii) the write-off of deferred financing costs of
$63.1 million
, (iii) the write-off of unamortized discount of
$10.4 million
and (iv) the payment of third-party costs of
$0.8 million
.
For additional information concerning our losses on debt modification and extinguishment, net, see notes
4
and
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
114
Other income (expense), net
The details of our other income (expense), net, are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(6.5
)
$
(5.4
)
$
23.5
$
(8.0
)
LiLAC Group
7.9
0.5
7.8
0.7
Inter-group eliminations
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
(0.3
)
(0.5
)
Total
$
1.2
$
(5.1
)
$
31.0
$
(7.8
)
The total
2016
amounts include (i) expense of $16.9 million and $72.1 million, respectively, representing our share of the results of affiliates, and (ii) interest income of $15.8 million and $36.6 million, respectively. In addition, the 2016 nine-month amount includes income of
$69.8 million
, representing our share of the settlement of certain litigation between
Vivendi
and
Liberty Media
, as further described in note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
The total
2015
amounts include (i) expense of $15.6 million and $38.8 million, respectively, representing our share of the results of affiliates, and (ii) interest income of $11.4 million and $33.4 million, respectively.
Income tax benefit (expense)
The details of our income tax benefit (expense) are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(36.9
)
$
20.8
$
(45.5
)
$
(16.8
)
LiLAC Group
(72.6
)
(18.3
)
(71.1
)
(32.8
)
Total
$
(109.5
)
$
2.5
$
(116.6
)
$
(49.6
)
The income tax expense during the three months ended
September 30, 2016
differs from the expected income tax benefit of
$19.1 million
(based on the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate of
20.0%
) primarily due to the net negative impact of (i) a reduction in net deferred tax assets in the
U.K.
due to enacted changes in tax law and (ii) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of interest and other items. The net negative impact of these items was partially offset by the net positive impact of (a) the tax effect of intercompany financing, (b) non-deductible or non-taxable foreign currency exchange results and (c) statutory tax rates in certain jurisdictions in which we operate that are different than the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate.
The income tax benefit during the three months ended
September 30, 2015
differs from the expected income tax expense of
$27.6 million
(based on the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate of
20.0%
) primarily due to the net positive impact of (i) non-deductible or non-taxable foreign currency exchange results, (ii) the tax effect of intercompany financing, (iii) statutory tax rates in certain jurisdictions in which we operate that are different than the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate and (iv) the recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits. The net positive impact of these items was partially offset by the net negative impact of (a) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of items associated with investments in subsidiaries and affiliates and (b) an increase in valuation allowances.
The income tax expense during the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
differs from the expected income tax benefit of
$70.4 million
(based on the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate of
20.0%
) primarily due to the net negative impact of (i) an increase in valuation allowances, (ii) a reduction in net deferred tax assets in the
U.K.
due to enacted changes in tax law, (iii) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of interest and other items and (iv) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of items associated with investments in subsidiaries and affiliates.
115
The net negative impact of these items was partially offset by the net positive impact of (a) non-deductible or non-taxable foreign currency exchange results, (b) the tax effect of intercompany financing and (c) statutory tax rates in certain jurisdictions in which we operate that are different than the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate.
The income tax expense during the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2015
differs from the expected income tax benefit of
$148.3 million
(based on the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate of
20.0%
) primarily due to the net negative impact of (i) an increase in valuation allowances, (ii) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of items associated with investments in subsidiaries and affiliates and (iii) certain permanent differences between the financial and tax accounting treatment of interest and other items. The net negative impact of these items was partially offset by the net positive impact of (a) the tax effect of intercompany financing, (b) statutory tax rates in certain jurisdictions in which we operate that are different than the
U.K.
statutory income tax rate and (c) the recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits.
For additional information concerning our income taxes, see note
8
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Net earnings (loss)
The details of our net earnings (loss) are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(136.8
)
$
110.5
$
(246.8
)
$
(852.8
)
LiLAC Group
(68.3
)
30.1
(221.9
)
61.8
Total
$
(205.1
)
$
140.6
$
(468.7
)
$
(791.0
)
During the
three months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, we reported net earnings (loss) of (
$205.1 million
) and
$140.6 million
, respectively, including (i) operating income of
$902.7 million
and
$545.5 million
, respectively, (ii) net non-operating expense of
$998.3 million
and
$407.4 million
, respectively, and (iii) income tax
benefit (expense) of (
$109.5 million
) and
$2.5 million
, respectively.
During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, we reported net losses
of
$468.7 million
and
$791.0 million
, respectively, including (i) operating income of
$1,977.1 million
and
$1,727.9 million
, respectively, (ii) net non-operating expense of
$2,329.2 million
and
$2,469.3 million
, respectively, and (iii) income tax expense of
$116.6 million
and
$49.6 million
, respectively.
Gains or losses associated with (i) changes in the fair values of derivative instruments, (ii) movements in foreign currency exchange rates and (iii) the disposition of assets and changes in ownership are subject to a high degree of volatility and, as such, any gains from these sources do not represent a reliable source of income. In the absence of significant gains in the future from these sources or from other non-operating items, our ability to achieve earnings is largely dependent on our ability to increase our aggregate
Adjusted OIBDA
to a level that more than offsets the aggregate amount of our (a) share-based compensation expense, (b) depreciation and amortization, (c) impairment, restructuring and other operating items, (d) interest expense, (e) other non-operating expenses and (f) income tax expenses.
Due largely to the fact that we seek to maintain our debt at levels that provide for attractive equity returns, as discussed under
Material Changes in Financial Condition
—
Capitalization
below, we expect that we will continue to report significant levels of interest expense for the foreseeable future. For information concerning our expectations with respect to trends that may affect certain aspects of our operating results in future periods, see the discussion under
Overview
above. For information concerning the reasons for changes in specific line items in our condensed consolidated statements of operations, see the discussion under
Discussion and Analysis of our Reportable Segments
and
Discussion and Analysis of our Consolidated Operating Results
above.
116
Net earnings
attributable to noncontrolling interests
The details of our net earnings
attributable to noncontrolling interests are as follows:
Three months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(30.9
)
$
(7.6
)
$
(23.3
)
LiLAC Group
(13.5
)
0.3
(13.8
)
Total
$
(44.4
)
$
(7.3
)
$
(37.1
)
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Liberty Global Group
$
(27.6
)
$
(73.2
)
$
45.6
LiLAC Group
(20.9
)
(4.7
)
(16.2
)
Total
$
(48.5
)
$
(77.9
)
$
29.4
The changes in net
earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests during the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding periods in
2015
, are primarily attributable to the results of operations of (i)
Telenet
and (ii)
CWC
following the
CWC Acquisition
.
117
Material Changes in Financial Condition
Sources and Uses of Cash
We are a holding company that is dependent on the capital resources of our subsidiaries to satisfy our liquidity requirements at the corporate level. Although our consolidated operating subsidiaries generate cash from operating activities, each of our significant operating subsidiaries is included within one of our nine subsidiary “borrowing groups.” These borrowing groups include the respective restricted parent and subsidiary entities within
Virgin Media
,
Ziggo Group Holding
,
Unitymedia
,
UPC Holding
,
Telenet
,
CWC
,
Columbus
,
VTR Finance
and
Liberty Puerto Rico
. As set forth in the table below, our borrowing groups accounted for a significant portion of our consolidated cash and cash equivalents at
September 30, 2016
. The terms of the instruments governing the indebtedness of these borrowing groups restrict our ability to access the liquidity of these subsidiaries. In addition, our ability to access the liquidity of these and other subsidiaries may be limited by tax and legal considerations, the presence of noncontrolling interests, foreign currency exchange restrictions and other factors.
Cash and cash equivalents
The details of the
U.S.
dollar equivalent balances of our consolidated cash and cash equivalents at
September 30, 2016
are set forth in the following table (in millions):
Cash and cash equivalents held by:
Liberty Global and unrestricted subsidiaries:
Liberty Global (a)
$
26.7
Unrestricted subsidiaries:
Liberty Global Group (b) (c)
398.8
LiLAC Group (d)
74.5
Total Liberty Global and unrestricted subsidiaries
500.0
Borrowing groups (e):
CWC (f)
230.7
VTR Finance
115.2
Liberty Puerto Rico
50.6
Virgin Media (c)
26.8
UPC Holding
26.5
Telenet
25.7
Unitymedia
1.5
Ziggo Group Holding
0.1
Total borrowing groups
477.1
Total cash and cash equivalents
$
977.1
Liberty Global Group
$
506.1
LiLAC Group
471.0
Total cash and cash equivalents
$
977.1
_______________
(a)
Represents the amount held by
Liberty Global
on a standalone basis, which is attributed to the
Liberty Global Group
.
(b)
Represents the aggregate amount held by subsidiaries attributed to the
Liberty Global Group
that are outside of our borrowing groups.
(c)
The
Virgin Media
borrowing group includes certain subsidiaries of
Virgin Media
, but excludes
Virgin Media
. The
$0.3 million
of cash and cash equivalents held by
Virgin Media
is included in the amount shown for the
Liberty Global Group
’s unrestricted subsidiaries.
118
(d)
Represents the aggregate amount held by subsidiaries attributed to the
LiLAC Group
that are outside of our borrowing groups.
(e)
Except as otherwise noted, represents the aggregate amounts held by the parent entity and restricted subsidiaries of our borrowing groups.
(f)
Amount includes $78.0 million held by
Columbus
and its subsidiaries, which together constitute a separate borrowing group within
CWC
.
Liquidity of
Liberty Global
and its unrestricted subsidiaries
The
$26.7 million
of cash and cash equivalents held by
Liberty Global
and, subject to certain tax and legal considerations, the
$473.3 million
of aggregate cash and cash equivalents held by the unrestricted subsidiaries attributed to the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
, represented available liquidity at the corporate level at
September 30, 2016
. Our remaining cash and cash equivalents of
$477.1 million
at
September 30, 2016
were held by our borrowing groups as set forth in the table above. As noted above, various factors may limit our ability to access the cash of our borrowing groups. For information regarding certain limitations imposed by our subsidiaries’ debt instruments at
September 30, 2016
, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Our current sources of corporate liquidity include (i) cash and cash equivalents held by
Liberty Global
and, subject to certain tax and legal considerations,
Liberty Global
’s unrestricted subsidiaries, and (ii) interest and dividend income received on our and, subject to certain tax and legal considerations, our unrestricted subsidiaries’ cash and cash equivalents and investments. In addition, our parent entity’s short-term liquidity is supplemented by interest payments that it receives on a note receivable from one of our unrestricted subsidiaries (outstanding principal of $9.6 billion at
September 30, 2016
, all outstanding principal due in 2021).
From time to time,
Liberty Global
and its unrestricted subsidiaries may also receive (i) proceeds in the form of distributions or loan repayments from
Liberty Global
’s borrowing groups or affiliates upon (a) the completion of recapitalizations, refinancings, asset sales or similar transactions by these entities or (b) the accumulation of excess cash from operations or other means, (ii) proceeds upon the disposition of investments and other assets of
Liberty Global
and its unrestricted subsidiaries and (iii) proceeds in connection with the incurrence of debt by
Liberty Global
or its unrestricted subsidiaries or the issuance of equity securities by
Liberty Global
, including equity securities issued to satisfy subsidiary obligations. No assurance can be given that any external funding would be available to
Liberty Global
or its unrestricted subsidiaries on favorable terms, or at all. Upon the formation of the
Dutch JV
, we will receive a significant amount of cash, and the debt and capital lease obligations of the
Dutch JV Entities
will no longer be included in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. For additional information, see notes
3
and
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
In addition, the amount of cash we receive from our subsidiaries to satisfy
U.S.
dollar-denominated liquidity requirements is impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly with regard to the translation of British pounds sterling and euros into
U.S.
dollars. In this regard, the strengthening (weakening) of the
U.S.
dollar against these currencies will result in decreases (increases) in the
U.S.
dollars received from the applicable subsidiaries to fund the repurchase of our equity securities and other
U.S.
dollar-denominated liquidity requirements. In addition, the
U.S.
dollar has significantly strengthened against the British pound sterling during the period following Brexit.
At
September 30, 2016
, our consolidated cash and cash equivalents balance includes
$930.6 million
that is held by entities that are domiciled outside of the
U.K.
Based on our assessment of our ability to access the liquidity of our subsidiaries on a tax efficient basis and our expectations with respect to our corporate liquidity requirements, we do not anticipate that tax considerations will adversely impact our corporate liquidity over the next 12 months. Our ability to access the liquidity of our subsidiaries on a tax efficient basis is a consideration in assessing the extent of our share repurchase program.
Our corporate liquidity requirements include (i) corporate general and administrative expenses, (ii) interest payments on the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
and the
Sumitomo Share Loan
and (iii) principal payments on our secured borrowing arrangement with respect to our
ITV
shares (the
ITV Collar Loan
), the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
, the
Sumitomo Share Loan
and our secured borrowing arrangement with respect to
2.5 million
of our
Lionsgate
shares (the
Lionsgate Loan
) to the extent not settled through the delivery of the underlying shares. In addition,
Liberty Global
and its unrestricted subsidiaries may require cash in connection with (a) the repayment of third-party and intercompany debt, (b) the satisfaction of contingent liabilities, (c) acquisitions, (d) the repurchase of equity and debt securities, (e) other investment opportunities or (f) income tax payments. In addition, our
119
parent entity uses available liquidity to make interest and principal payments on notes payable to certain of our unrestricted subsidiaries (aggregate outstanding principal of $3,335.8 million
at
September 30, 2016
and no stated maturity). For information regarding the liquidity impacts of the pending creation of the
Dutch JV
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. For information regarding our commitments and contingencies, see note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
During the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
, we purchased a total of
25,686,822
Class A
Liberty Global Shares
at a weighted average price of
$32.36
and
23,700,789
Class C
Liberty Global Shares
at a weighted average price of
$33.09
for an aggregate purchase price of
$1,615.6 million
, including direct acquisition costs and the effects of derivative instruments. At
September 30, 2016
, the remaining amount authorized for share repurchases was
$2,393.3 million
.
Liquidity of borrowing groups
The cash and cash equivalents of our borrowing groups are detailed in the table above. In addition to cash and cash equivalents, the primary sources of liquidity of our borrowing groups are cash provided by operations and borrowing availability under their respective debt instruments. For the details of the borrowing availability of such entities at
September 30, 2016
, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. The aforementioned sources of liquidity may be supplemented in certain cases by contributions and/or loans from
Liberty Global
and its unrestricted subsidiaries. The liquidity of our borrowing groups generally is used to fund property and equipment additions and debt service requirements. From time to time, our borrowing groups may also require liquidity in connection with (i) acquisitions and other investment opportunities, (ii) loans to
Liberty Global
, (iii) capital distributions to
Liberty Global
and other equity owners or (iv) the satisfaction of contingencies. No assurance can be given that any external funding would be available to our borrowing groups on favorable terms, or at all. For information regarding our borrowing groups’ contingencies, see note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
For additional information regarding our consolidated cash flows, see the discussion under
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
below.
Capitalization
We seek to maintain our debt at levels that provide for attractive equity returns without assuming undue risk. In this regard, we generally seek to cause our operating subsidiaries to maintain their debt at levels that result in a consolidated debt balance (excluding the
ITV Collar Loan
, the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
, the
Sumitomo Share Loan
and the
Lionsgate Loan
and measured using subsidiary debt figures at swapped foreign currency exchange rates, consistent with the covenant calculation requirements of our subsidiary debt agreements) that is between four and five times our consolidated
Adjusted OIBDA
, although it should be noted that the timing of our acquisitions and financing transactions and the interplay of average and spot foreign currency rates may impact this ratio. The ratio of our
September 30, 2016
consolidated debt (which excludes the debt of
Ziggo Group Holding
due to the application of held-for-sale accounting) to our annualized consolidated
Adjusted OIBDA
for the quarter ended
September 30, 2016
(as adjusted to exclude the
Adjusted OIBDA
of
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Ziggo Sport
for the full quarter) was 5.0x. In addition, the ratio of our
September 30, 2016
consolidated net debt (debt, as defined above, less cash and cash equivalents) to our annualized consolidated
Adjusted OIBDA
for the quarter ended
September 30, 2016
(as adjusted to exclude the
Adjusted OIBDA
of
Ziggo Group Holding
and
Ziggo Sport
for the full quarter) was
4.8x.
When it is cost effective, we generally seek to match the denomination of the borrowings of our subsidiaries with the functional currency of the operations that are supporting the respective borrowings. As further discussed in note
4
to our condensed consolidated financial statements, we also use derivative instruments to mitigate foreign currency and interest rate risk associated with our debt instruments.
Our ability to service or refinance our debt and to maintain compliance with the leverage covenants in the credit agreements and indentures of our borrowing groups is dependent primarily on our ability to maintain or increase the
Adjusted OIBDA
of our operating subsidiaries and to achieve adequate returns on our property and equipment additions and acquisitions. In addition, our ability to obtain additional debt financing is limited by the leverage covenants contained in the various debt instruments of our borrowing groups. For example, if the
Adjusted OIBDA
of
UPC Broadband Holding
were to decline, we could be required to partially repay or limit our borrowings under the
UPC Broadband Holding Bank Facility
in order to maintain compliance with applicable covenants. No assurance can be given that we would have sufficient sources of liquidity, or that any external funding would be available on favorable terms, or at all, to fund any such required repayment. At
September 30, 2016
, each of our borrowing groups was in compliance with its debt covenants. In addition, we do not anticipate any instances of non-compliance
120
with respect to the debt covenants of our borrowing groups that would have a material adverse impact on our liquidity during the next 12 months.
At
September 30, 2016
, the outstanding principal amount of our consolidated debt, together with our capital lease obligations, aggregated
$44.2 billion
, including $2,154.5 million that is classified as current in our condensed consolidated balance sheet and
$39.5 billion
that is not due until 2021 or thereafter. For additional information concerning our current debt maturities, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Notwithstanding our negative working capital position at
September 30, 2016
, we believe that we have sufficient resources to repay or refinance the current portion of our debt and capital lease obligations and to fund our foreseeable liquidity requirements during the next 12 months. However, as our maturing debt grows in later years, we anticipate that we will seek to refinance or otherwise extend our debt maturities. No assurance can be given that we will be able to complete these refinancing transactions or otherwise extend our debt maturities. In this regard, it is not possible to predict how political and economic conditions, sovereign debt concerns or any adverse regulatory developments could impact the credit and equity markets we access and, accordingly, our future liquidity and financial position. However, (i) the financial failure of any of our counterparties could (a) reduce amounts available under committed credit facilities and (b) adversely impact our ability to access cash deposited with any failed financial institution and (ii) tightening of the credit markets could adversely impact our ability to access debt financing on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, any weakness in the equity markets could make it less attractive to use our shares to satisfy contingent or other obligations, and sustained or increased competition, particularly in combination with adverse economic or regulatory developments, could have an unfavorable impact on our cash flows and liquidity.
All of our consolidated debt and capital lease obligations have been borrowed or incurred by our subsidiaries at
September 30, 2016
.
For additional information concerning our debt and capital lease obligations, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
General.
Our cash flows are subject to significant variations due to
FX
.
Summary.
Our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
and
2015
are summarized as follows:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
4,041.5
$
4,159.3
$
(117.8
)
Net cash used by investing activities
(3,136.6
)
(2,862.7
)
(273.9
)
Net cash used by financing activities
(949.7
)
(1,351.3
)
401.6
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
39.8
7.4
32.4
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents
$
(5.0
)
$
(47.3
)
$
42.3
121
Operating Activities.
Our net cash flows from operating activities are as follows:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Net cash provided by operating activities:
Liberty Global Group
$
3,814.0
$
3,957.7
$
(143.7
)
LiLAC Group
227.5
201.6
25.9
Total
$
4,041.5
$
4,159.3
$
(117.8
)
The
decrease
in total net cash provided by our operating activities is primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) a decrease in cash provided due to higher payments of interest, (ii) an increase in cash provided due to higher cash receipts related to derivative instruments, (iii) an increase in the cash provided by our
Adjusted OIBDA
and related working capital items due to the impact of the acquisition of CWC and (iv) a decrease in cash provided due to higher payments for taxes.
Investing Activities.
Our net cash flows from investing activities are as follows:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Net cash used by investing activities:
Liberty Global Group
$
(2,833.3
)
$
(2,531.0
)
$
(302.3
)
LiLAC Group
(308.0
)
(440.1
)
132.1
Inter-group eliminations
4.7
108.4
(103.7
)
Total
$
(3,136.6
)
$
(2,862.7
)
$
(273.9
)
The
increase
in total net cash used by our investing activities is primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) an increase in cash used of
$1,046.2 million
associated with higher cash paid in connection with acquisitions,
(ii) a decrease in cash used of
$681.1 million
associated with lower cash paid related to investments in and loans to affiliates and others, (iii) a decrease in cash used of
$137.8 million
as a result of cash proceeds received from the sale of investments, (iv) an increase in cash used of
$93.5 million
due to higher capital expenditures and (v) a decrease in cash used of
$69.8 million
as a result of cash proceeds received in connection with the
Vivendi
settlement, as further described in note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. Capital expenditures
increased
from
$1,851.5 million
during the first
nine
months of
2015
to
$1,945.0 million
during the first
nine
months of
2016
due to the
net effect of (a) a decrease resulting from
FX
, (b) an increase resulting from acquisitions and (c) a net increase in the local currency capital expenditures of our subsidiaries, including a decrease associated with higher capital-related vendor financing.
122
The capital expenditures that we report in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows do not include amounts that are financed under capital-related vendor financing or capital lease arrangements. Instead, these amounts are reflected as non-cash additions to our property and equipment when the underlying assets are delivered and as repayments of debt when the principal is repaid. In this discussion, we refer to (i) our capital expenditures as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, which exclude amounts financed under capital-related vendor financing or capital lease arrangements, and (ii) our total property and equipment additions, which include our capital expenditures on an accrual basis and amounts financed under capital-related vendor financing or capital lease arrangements. For further details regarding our property and equipment additions, see note
14
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. A reconciliation of our consolidated property and equipment additions to our consolidated capital expenditures as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows is set forth below:
Nine months ended September 30,
2016
2015
Liberty Global Group
LiLAC Group
Total
Liberty Global Group
LiLAC Group
Total
in millions
Property and equipment additions
$
3,109.6
$
365.0
$
3,474.6
$
2,820.8
$
184.8
$
3,005.6
Assets acquired under capital-related vendor financing arrangements
(1,405.6
)
(33.7
)
(1,439.3
)
(1,090.6
)
—
(1,090.6
)
Assets acquired under capital leases
(73.0
)
(5.0
)
(78.0
)
(89.3
)
—
(89.3
)
Changes in current liabilities related to capital expenditures
(28.5
)
16.2
(12.3
)
40.8
(15.0
)
25.8
Capital expenditures
$
1,602.5
$
342.5
$
1,945.0
$
1,681.7
$
169.8
$
1,851.5
The property and equipment additions attributable to the
Liberty Global Group
are primarily related to the
European Operations Division
, which accounted for
$3,105.5 million
and
$2,769.1 million
of
Liberty Global Group
’s property and equipment additions during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
and
2015
, respectively. The
increase
in the
European Operations Division
’s property and equipment additions is primarily due to the
net effect of (i) an increase in expenditures for new build and upgrade projects,
(ii) a decrease due to
FX
, (iii) an increase in expenditures for support capital, such as information technology upgrades and general support systems, (iv) an increase due to the impact of the
BASE Acquisition
and (v) an increase in expenditures for the purchase and installation of customer premises equipment.
Property and equipment additions attributable to the
LiLAC Group
increased
during the
nine months ended September 30, 2016
, as compared to the corresponding period in
2015
, primarily due to the net effect of (i) an increase due to the impacts of the
CWC Acquisition
and the
Choice Acquisition
, (ii) an increase in expenditures for the purchase and installation of customer premises equipment, (iii) an increase in expenditures for new build and upgrade projects, (iv) a decrease due to
FX
and (v) an increase in expenditures for support capital, such as information technology upgrades and general support systems.
During the first
nine
months of
2016
, approximately 43% of
VTR
’s purchases of property and equipment were denominated in
U.S.
dollars.
Including
BASE
and
CWC
, but excluding
Ziggo Group Holding
, we expect the percentage of revenue represented by our aggregate 2016 consolidated property and equipment additions to range from 25% to 27%, including (i) 26% to 28% for the
Liberty Global Group
and (ii) 19% to 21% for the
LiLAC Group
. These ranges reflect changes from the expectations disclosed in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which included
Ziggo Group Holding
and excluded
BASE
and
CWC
. In this regard, the range for the
Liberty Global Group
represents an increase from our previously-reported expectation of 25% to 27% and the range for the
LiLAC Group
represents a decrease from our previously-reported expectation of 21% to 23%. The range for
Liberty Global
on a consolidated basis remains unchanged from our previously-reported expectations. The actual amount of our 2016 consolidated property and equipment additions and the 2016 property and equipment additions of the
Liberty Global Group
and the
LiLAC Group
may vary from expected amounts for a variety of reasons, including (a) changes in (1) the competitive or regulatory environment, (2) business plans, (3) our current or expected future operating results or (4) foreign currency exchange rates and (b) the availability of sufficient capital. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual property and equipment additions will not vary materially from our expectations.
123
Financing Activities.
Our net cash flows from financing activities are as follows:
Nine months ended
September 30,
2016
2015
Change
in millions
Net cash used by financing activities:
Liberty Global Group
$
(1,214.8
)
$
(1,620.7
)
$
405.9
LiLAC Group
269.8
377.8
(108.0
)
Inter-group eliminations
(4.7
)
(108.4
)
103.7
Total
$
(949.7
)
$
(1,351.3
)
$
401.6
The
decrease
in total net cash
used by our financing activities is primarily attributable to the net effect of (i) a decrease in cash used of
$259.3 million
due to lower payments related to derivative instruments,
(ii) an increase in cash used of
$247.6 million
related to lower net borrowings of debt,
(iii) a decrease in cash used of
$246.1 million
due to lower payments for financing costs and debt premiums, (iv) a decrease in cash used of
$142.2 million
related lower to purchases of additional shares of our subsidiaries,
(v) a decrease in cash used of
$130.3 million
associated with call option contracts on Liberty Global ordinary shares and
(vi) an increase in cash used of
$99.6 million
due to higher repurchases of Liberty Global ordinary shares.
Adjusted free cash flow
We define adjusted free cash flow as net cash provided by our operating activities, plus (i) excess tax benefits related to the exercise of share-based incentive awards, (ii) cash payments for third-party costs directly associated with successful and unsuccessful acquisitions and dispositions and (iii) expenses financed by an intermediary, less (a) capital expenditures, as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, (b) principal payments on amounts financed by vendors and intermediaries and (c) principal payments on capital leases (exclusive of the portions of the network lease in Belgium and the duct leases in Germany that we assumed in connection with certain acquisitions), with each item excluding any cash provided or used by our discontinued operations. We believe that our presentation of adjusted free cash flow provides useful information to our investors because this measure can be used to gauge our ability to service debt and fund new investment opportunities. Adjusted free cash flow should not be understood to represent our ability to fund discretionary amounts, as we have various mandatory and contractual obligations, including debt repayments, which are not deducted to arrive at this amount. Investors should view adjusted free cash flow as a supplement to, and not a substitute for,
U.S. GAAP
measures of liquidity included in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
The following table provides the details of our adjusted free cash flow:
Nine months ended September 30,
2016
2015
Liberty Global Group
LiLAC Group
Total
Liberty Global Group
LiLAC Group
Total
in millions
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
3,814.0
$
227.5
$
4,041.5
$
3,957.7
$
201.6
$
4,159.3
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation (a)
4.0
—
4.0
23.3
3.7
27.0
Cash payments for direct acquisition and disposition costs
26.8
62.7
89.5
244.9
4.6
249.5
Expenses financed by an intermediary (b)
605.9
1.1
607.0
132.8
—
132.8
Capital expenditures
(1,602.5
)
(342.5
)
(1,945.0
)
(1,681.7
)
(169.8
)
(1,851.5
)
Principal payments on amounts financed by vendors and intermediaries
(1,796.2
)
—
(1,796.2
)
(909.7
)
—
(909.7
)
Principal payments on certain capital leases
(82.2
)
(3.5
)
(85.7
)
(114.2
)
(0.6
)
(114.8
)
Adjusted free cash flow
$
969.8
$
(54.7
)
$
915.1
$
1,653.1
$
39.5
$
1,692.6
124
_______________
(a)
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation represent the excess of tax deductions over the related financial reporting share-based compensation expense. The hypothetical cash flows associated with these excess tax benefits are reported as an increase to cash flows from financing activities and a corresponding decrease to cash flows from operating activities in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
(b)
For purposes of our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, expenses financed by an intermediary are treated as hypothetical operating cash outflows and hypothetical financing cash inflows when the expenses are incurred. When we pay the financing intermediary, we record financing cash outflows in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. For purposes of our adjusted free cash flow definition, we add back the hypothetical operating cash outflow when these financed expenses are incurred and deduct the financing cash outflows when we pay the financing intermediary.
Contractual Commitments
The following table sets forth the
U.S.
dollar equivalents of our commitments as of
September 30, 2016
. With the exception of debt, capital leases and the related projected interest payments (which include
CWC
amounts), the commitments of
CWC
have been excluded from the table pending our verification of the amounts. These excluded commitments are not expected to be material in relation to our total commitments. Due to the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
at September 30, 2016, the amounts presented below do not include the maturities of the debt and capital lease obligations, contractual commitments or the related projected cash interest payments of these entities. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Payments due during:
Total
Remainder
of 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Thereafter
in millions
Debt (excluding interest)
$
420.1
$
1,974.7
$
1,220.3
$
564.5
$
71.9
$
5,525.5
$
33,121.1
$
42,898.1
Capital leases (excluding interest)
42.4
131.5
111.4
87.4
81.6
82.7
784.2
1,321.2
Programming commitments
255.0
964.7
836.3
424.0
174.1
48.6
21.7
2,724.4
Network and connectivity commitments
504.1
571.7
198.4
104.6
62.5
53.6
889.2
2,384.1
Purchase commitments
647.3
347.9
185.3
108.0
88.9
14.4
64.8
1,456.6
Operating leases
35.3
119.6
101.8
82.3
63.7
52.2
242.5
697.4
Other commitments
43.0
49.7
31.3
28.5
12.2
11.6
15.4
191.7
Total (a)
$
1,947.2
$
4,159.8
$
2,684.8
$
1,399.3
$
554.9
$
5,788.6
$
35,138.9
$
51,673.5
Projected cash interest payments on debt and capital lease obligations (b):
Liberty Global Group
$
294.6
$
1,827.4
$
1,733.5
$
1,722.3
$
1,717.1
$
1,602.8
$
4,592.4
$
13,490.1
LiLAC Group
37.9
372.6
370.6
368.5
350.1
297.3
370.9
2,167.9
Total
$
332.5
$
2,200.0
$
2,104.1
$
2,090.8
$
2,067.2
$
1,900.1
$
4,963.3
$
15,658.0
_______________
(a)
The commitments included in this table do not reflect any liabilities that are included in our
September 30, 2016
condensed consolidated balance sheet other than debt and capital lease obligations. Our liability for uncertain tax positions in the various jurisdictions in which we operate ($464.7 million
at
September 30, 2016
,
including $81.7 million
related to
CWC
and its subsidiaries) has been excluded from the table as the amount and timing of any related payments are not subject to reasonable estimation.
(b)
Amounts are based on interest rates, interest payment dates, commitment fees and contractual maturities in effect as of
125
September 30, 2016
. These amounts are presented for illustrative purposes only and will likely differ from the actual cash payments required in future periods. In addition, the amounts presented do not include the impact of our interest rate derivative contracts, deferred financing costs, original issue premiums or discounts.
For information concerning our debt and capital lease obligations, see note
7
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. For information concerning our commitments, see note
13
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
In addition to the commitments set forth in the table above, we have significant commitments under (i) derivative instruments and (ii) defined benefit plans and similar agreements, pursuant to which we expect to make payments in future periods. For information regarding projected cash flows associated with our derivative instruments, see
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk — Projected Cash Flows Associated with Derivative Instruments
below
.
For information regarding our derivative instruments, including the net cash paid or received in connection with these instruments during the
nine
months ended
September 30, 2016
and
2015
, see note
4
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
126
Item 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
General
The information in this section should be read in conjunction with the more complete discussion that appears under
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
in our
2015
Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion updates selected numerical information to
September 30, 2016
.
We are exposed to market risk in the normal course of our business operations due to our investments in various foreign countries and ongoing investing and financing activities. Market risk refers to the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and stock prices. The risk of loss can be assessed from the perspective of adverse changes in fair values, cash flows and future earnings. As further described below, we have established policies, procedures and processes governing our management of market risks and the use of derivative instruments to manage our exposure to such risks.
Cash
We invest our cash in highly liquid instruments that meet high credit quality standards. We are exposed to exchange rate risk to the extent that the denominations of our cash and cash equivalent balances, revolving lines of credit and other short-term sources of liquidity do not correspond to the denominations of our and our subsidiaries’ short-term liquidity requirements. In order to mitigate this risk, we actively manage the denominations of our cash balances in light of our and our subsidiaries’ forecasted liquidity requirements. At
September 30, 2016
,
$697.0 million
or
71.3%
,
$103.9 million
or
10.6%
and
$98.0 million
or
10.0%
of our consolidated cash balances were denominated in
U.S.
dollars,
Chilean pesos
and
euros
, respectively.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
The relationship between (i) the euro, the British pound sterling, the Swiss franc, the Hungarian forint, the Polish zloty, the Czech koruna, the Romanian lei, the Chilean peso and the Jamaican dollar and (ii) the
U.S.
dollar, which is our reporting currency, is shown below, per one
U.S.
dollar:
September 30,
2016
December 31, 2015
Spot rates:
Euro
0.8906
0.9203
British pound sterling
0.7710
0.6787
Swiss franc
0.9720
0.9997
Hungarian forint
275.21
290.85
Polish zloty
3.8283
3.9286
Czech koruna
24.067
24.867
Romanian lei
3.9632
4.1604
Chilean peso
656.85
708.60
Jamaican dollar
127.59
119.95
127
Three months ended
Nine months ended
September 30,
September 30,
2016
2015
2016
2015
Average rates:
Euro
0.8961
0.8992
0.8957
0.8968
British pound sterling
0.7616
0.6456
0.7193
0.6528
Swiss franc
0.9758
0.9651
0.9797
0.9536
Hungarian forint
278.79
280.67
279.65
277.25
Polish zloty
3.8891
3.7678
3.9040
3.7293
Czech koruna
24.221
24.353
24.221
24.551
Romanian lei
4.0002
3.9819
4.0181
3.9852
Chilean peso
661.52
677.25
679.85
640.03
Jamaican dollar
126.98
116.38
123.88
115.51
Interest Rate Risks
In general, we seek to enter into derivative instruments to protect against increases in the interest rates on our variable-rate debt. Accordingly, we have entered into various derivative transactions to reduce exposure to increases in interest rates. We use interest rate derivative contracts to exchange, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed and variable interest rates calculated by reference to an agreed-upon notional principal amount. We also use interest rate cap and collar agreements that lock in a maximum interest rate if variable rates rise, but also allow our company to benefit, to a limited extent in the case of collars, from declines in market rates. At
September 30, 2016
, we effectively paid a fixed interest rate on 96%
of our total debt. The final maturity dates of our various portfolios of interest rate derivative instruments generally fall short of the respective maturities of the underlying variable-rate debt. In this regard, we use judgment to determine the appropriate maturity dates of our portfolios of interest rate derivative instruments, taking into account the relative costs and benefits of different maturity profiles in light of current and expected future market conditions, liquidity issues and other factors. For additional information concerning the terms of these interest rate derivative instruments, see note
4
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Sensitivity Information
Information concerning the sensitivity of the fair value of certain of our more significant derivative instruments to changes in market conditions is set forth below. The potential changes in fair value set forth below do not include any amounts associated with the remeasurement of the derivative asset or liability into the applicable functional currency. For additional information, see notes
4
and
5
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Virgin Media
Cross-currency and Interest Rate Derivative Contracts
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
:
(i)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the British pound sterling relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
Virgin Media
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
£564 million
(
$732 million
);
(ii)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) in the relevant base rate of 50 basis points (0.50%) would have increased (decreased) the aggregate fair value of the
Virgin Media
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
£75 million
(
$97 million
); and
(iii)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the euro relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
Virgin Media
cross-currency derivative contracts by approximately
£39 million
(
$51 million
).
128
UPC Broadband Holding
Cross-currency and Interest Rate Derivative Contracts
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
:
(i)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the Swiss franc, Polish zloty, Hungarian forint and Czech koruna relative to the euro would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
UPC Broadband Holding
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
€553 million
(
$621 million
);
(ii)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the euro relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
UPC Broadband Holding
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
€287 million
(
$322 million
);
(iii)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the Swiss franc and Romanian lei relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
UPC Broadband Holding
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
€128 million
(
$144 million
); and
(iv)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) in the relevant base rate of 50 basis points (0.50%) would have increased (decreased) the aggregate fair value of the
UPC Broadband Holding
cross-currency and interest rate derivative contracts by approximately
€105 million
(
$118 million
).
Unitymedia
Cross-currency Derivative Contracts
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
, an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the euro relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate value of the
Unitymedia
cross-currency derivative contracts by approximately
€245 million
(
$275 million
).
Telenet
Cross-currency Derivative Contracts and Interest Rate Caps, Collars and Swaps
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
:
(i)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) in the relevant base rate of 50 basis points (0.50%) would have increased (decreased) the aggregate fair value of the
Telenet
interest rate cap, collar and swap contracts by approximately
€107 million
(
$120 million
); and
(ii)
an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the euro relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
Telenet
cross-currency derivative contracts by approximately
€99 million
(
$111 million
).
CWC
Cross-currency Derivative Contracts
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
, an instantaneous increase (decrease) in the relevant base rate of 50 basis points (0.50%) would have increased (decreased) the aggregate fair value of the
CWC
cross-currency derivative contracts by approximately JMD
3.3 billion
(
$26 million
).
VTR
Cross-currency Derivative Contracts
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
, an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the value of the Chilean peso relative to the
U.S.
dollar would have decreased (increased) the aggregate fair value of the
VTR
cross-currency derivative contracts by approximately CLP
110.0 billion
(
$167 million
).
129
ITV Collar
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
, an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the per share market price of
ITV
’s ordinary shares would have decreased (increased) the fair value of the
ITV Collar
by approximately
£73 million
(
$95 million
)
.
Sumitomo Collar
Holding all other factors constant, at
September 30, 2016
, an instantaneous increase (decrease) of 10% in the per share market price of
Sumitomo
’s common stock would have decreased (increased) the fair value of the
Sumitomo Collar
by approximately
¥4.0 billion
(
$39 million
).
Projected Cash Flows Associated with Derivative Instruments
The following table provides information regarding the projected cash flows associated with our derivative instruments. The
U.S.
dollar equivalents presented below are based on interest rates and exchange rates that were in effect as of
September 30, 2016
. These amounts are presented for illustrative purposes only and will likely differ from the actual cash payments required in future periods. For additional information regarding our derivative instruments, including our counterparty credit risk, see note
4
to our condensed consolidated financial statements. Consistent with the inclusion of
CWC
debt maturities and the related projected interest payments in our contractual commitments, as presented under "
Material Changes in Financial Condition - Contractual Commitments
" above, the table below includes the projected derivative cash flows associated with the debt of
CWC
. Additionally, as a result of the held-for-sale presentation of the debt and capital lease obligations of the
Dutch JV Entities
in our
September 30, 2016
condensed consolidated balance sheet, the amounts presented below do not include projected derivative cash flows related to the
Dutch JV Entities
. For information regarding the held-for-sale presentation of the
Dutch JV Entities
, see note
3
to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Payments (receipts) due during:
Total
Remainder of 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Thereafter
in millions
Projected derivative cash payments (receipts), net:
Liberty Global Group:
Interest-related (a)
$
(8.5
)
$
(61.3
)
$
3.1
$
(14.7
)
$
(31.9
)
$
(13.8
)
$
(36.6
)
$
(163.7
)
Principal-related (b)
5.5
138.5
—
5.8
201.0
(122.4
)
(1,716.7
)
(1,488.3
)
Other (c)
(59.1
)
(158.2
)
(360.1
)
(110.5
)
(4.9
)
—
(10.9
)
(703.7
)
Total Liberty Global Group
(62.1
)
(81.0
)
(357.0
)
(119.4
)
164.2
(136.2
)
(1,764.2
)
(2,355.7
)
LiLAC Group:
Interest-related (a)
6.4
28.0
27.9
26.7
23.6
23.6
19.2
155.4
Principal-related (b)
—
—
—
4.0
—
—
48.4
52.4
Other (c)
0.6
(2.6
)
—
—
—
—
—
(2.0
)
Total LiLAC Group
7.0
25.4
27.9
30.7
23.6
23.6
67.6
205.8
Total
$
(55.1
)
$
(55.6
)
$
(329.1
)
$
(88.7
)
$
187.8
$
(112.6
)
$
(1,696.6
)
$
(2,149.9
)
_______________
(a)
Includes (i) the cash flows of our interest rate cap, collar and swap contracts and (ii) the interest-related cash flows of our cross-currency and interest rate swap contracts.
(b)
Includes the principal-related cash flows of our cross-currency contracts.
(c)
Includes amounts related to our equity-related derivative instruments and foreign currency forward contracts. We may elect to use cash or the collective value of the related shares and equity-related derivative instrument to settle the
ITV Collar Loan
, the
Sumitomo Collar Loan
and the
Lionsgate Loan
.
130
Item 4.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In accordance with Exchange Act Rule 13a-15, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our chief executive officer, principal accounting officer and principal financial officer (the Executives), of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of
September 30, 2016
. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, the Executives recognize that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management is necessarily required to apply judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and objectives. Based on that evaluation, the Executives concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of
September 30, 2016
, in timely making known to them material information relating to us and our consolidated subsidiaries required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation described above that occurred during the fiscal quarter covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
131
PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
In addition to the other information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should consider the risk factors described in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our June 30, 2016 Quarter Report on Form 10-Q in evaluating our results of operations, financial condition, business and operations or an investment in the shares of our company.
Item 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
(c)
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table sets forth information concerning our company’s purchase of its own equity securities during the three months ended
September 30, 2016
:
Period
Total number of shares purchased
Average price
paid per share (a)
Total number of
shares purchased as part of publicly
announced plans
or programs
Approximate
dollar value of
shares that may
yet be purchased
under the plans or programs
July 1, 2016 through July 31, 2016:
Class A Liberty Global Shares
8,208,500
$
30.26
8,208,500
(b)
Class C Liberty Global Shares
1,955,600
$
29.88
1,955,600
(b)
August 1, 2016 through August 31, 2016:
Class A Liberty Global Shares
2,174,300
$
31.92
2,174,300
(b)
Class C Liberty Global Shares
4,632,200
$
30.89
4,632,200
(b)
September 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016:
Class A Liberty Global Shares
2,872,700
$
33.15
2,872,700
(b)
Class C Liberty Global Shares
868,100
$
31.76
868,100
(b)
Total — July 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016:
Class A Liberty Global Shares
13,255,500
$
31.16
13,255,500
(b)
Class C Liberty Global Shares
7,455,900
$
30.73
7,455,900
(b)
_______________
(a)
Average price paid per share includes direct acquisition costs and the effects of derivative instruments, where applicable.
(b)
At
September 30, 2016
, the remaining amount authorized for share repurchases was
$2,393.3 million
.
132
Item 6.
EXHIBITS
Listed below are the exhibits filed as part of this Quarterly Report (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601 of Regulation S-K):
4 — Instruments Defining the Rights of Securities Holders, including Indentures:
4.1
Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of July 1, 2016, among Virgin Media, the Registrant and the Bank of New York Mellon as trustee to the Indenture, dated as of April 16, 2008, as amended and supplemented, for the Virgin Media 6.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.9 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 4, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.2
Additional Facility AN Accession Agreement dated August 3, 2016 and entered into between, among others, UPC Financing Partnership and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 3, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.3
Senior Facilities Agreement dated March 5, 2015, among Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. as SPV Borrower, Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership as US SPV Borrower, The Bank of Nova Scotia as Facility Agent, the parties listed therein as Original Guarantors and Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as SPV Security Trustee and the Original Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 22, 2016 (File No. 001-35961) (the August 2016 8-K)).
4.4
Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. Additional Facility C Accession Deed dated August 16, 2016 and entered into between, among others, Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the August 2016 8-K).
4.5
Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership Additional Facility D Accession Deed dated August 16, 2016 and entered into between, among others, Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the August 2016 8-K).
4.6
Amendment Letter in relation to the Senior Facilities Agreement of January 27, 2014, dated September 14, 2016 from Amsterdamse Beheer-En Consultingmaatschappij B.V. as Parent to The Bank of Nova Scotia as Facility Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 20, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.7
Indenture dated September 23, 2016, among Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. as Issuer, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee and Security Trustee, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Dollar Paying Agent, Registrar and Transfer Agent, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, as Euro Paying Agent and Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. as Euro Registrar and Transfer Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed September 29, 2016 (File No. 001-35961) (the September 2016 8-K)).
4.8
Indenture dated September 23, 2016, among Ziggo Bond Finance B.V. as Issuer, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee and Security Trustee, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas as Paying Agent, Registrar and Transfer Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the September 2016 8-K).
4.9
Joinder Agreement dated October 7, 2016, among Sable International Finance Limited and Coral-US Co-Borrower LLC, as Borrowers, the other Guarantors party thereto, The Bank of Nova Scotia as Administrative Agent and Security Trustee, and the financial institutions party thereto as Revolving Credit Lenders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 13, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
31 — Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification:
31.1
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer*
31.2
Certification of Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)*
31.3
Certification of Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)*
32 — Section 1350 Certification**
99.1
Unaudited Attributed Financial Information*
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document*
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document*
133
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document*
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase*
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document*
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document*
_______________
*
Filed herewith
**
Furnished herewith
134
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
LIBERTY GLOBAL PLC
Dated:
November 3, 2016
/s/ M
ICHAEL
T. F
RIES
Michael T. Fries
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dated:
November 3, 2016
/s/ C
HARLES
H.R. B
RACKEN
Charles H.R. Bracken
Executive Vice President and Co-Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
Dated:
November 3, 2016
/s/ B
ERNARD
G. D
VORAK
Bernard G. Dvorak
Executive Vice President and Co-Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)
135
EXHIBIT INDEX
4 — Instruments Defining the Rights of Securities Holders, including Indentures:
4.1
Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of July 1, 2016, among Virgin Media, the Registrant and the Bank of New York Mellon as trustee to the Indenture, dated as of April 16, 2008, as amended and supplemented, for the Virgin Media 6.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.9 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 4, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.2
Additional Facility AN Accession Agreement dated August 3, 2016 and entered into between, among others, UPC Financing Partnership and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 3, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.3
Senior Facilities Agreement dated March 5, 2015, among Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. as SPV Borrower, Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership as US SPV Borrower, The Bank of Nova Scotia as Facility Agent, the parties listed therein as Original Guarantors and Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as SPV Security Trustee and the Original Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 22, 2016 (File No. 001-35961) (the August 2016 8-K)).
4.4
Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. Additional Facility C Accession Deed dated August 16, 2016 and entered into between, among others, Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the August 2016 8-K).
4.5
Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership Additional Facility D Accession Deed dated August 16, 2016 and entered into between, among others, Ziggo Secured Finance Partnership and The Bank of Nova Scotia (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the August 2016 8-K).
4.6
Amendment Letter in relation to the Senior Facilities Agreement of January 27, 2014, dated September 14, 2016 from Amsterdamse Beheer-En Consultingmaatschappij B.V. as Parent to The Bank of Nova Scotia as Facility Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 20, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
4.7
Indenture dated September 23, 2016, among Ziggo Secured Finance B.V. as Issuer, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee and Security Trustee, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Dollar Paying Agent, Registrar and Transfer Agent, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, as Euro Paying Agent and Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. as Euro Registrar and Transfer Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed September 29, 2016 (File No. 001-35961) (the September 2016 8-K)).
4.8
Indenture dated September 23, 2016, among Ziggo Bond Finance B.V. as Issuer, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited as Trustee and Security Trustee, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas as Paying Agent, Registrar and Transfer Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the September 2016 8-K).
4.9
Joinder Agreement dated October 7, 2016, among Sable International Finance Limited and Coral-US Co-Borrower LLC, as Borrowers, the other Guarantors party thereto, The Bank of Nova Scotia as Administrative Agent and Security Trustee, and the financial institutions party thereto as Revolving Credit Lenders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 13, 2016 (File No. 001-35961)).
31 — Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification:
31.1
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer*
31.2
Certification of Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)*
31.3
Certification of Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)*
32 — Section 1350 Certification**
99.1
Unaudited Attributed Financial Information*
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document*
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document*
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document*
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase*
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document*
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document*
_______________
*
Filed herewith
**
Furnished herewith